


In my Crown, I am King

by lahdolphin



Series: Prince of Quidditch [3]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 13:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6472012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lahdolphin/pseuds/lahdolphin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Atobe Keigo entered Hogwarts with plans to make it big and conquer. What he didn’t plan on was a boy sleeping in the train compartment, an obnoxiously stubborn Quidditch captain, or challengers to his throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The King’s Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> This is a side-story to PoQ and the Eagle's Scroll but the two are independent. So you don't have to read the main fic to read this.

Atobe Keigo boarded the Hogwarts Express without looking back over his shoulder at Kabaji or his parents, keeping his eyes forward and his gaze sharp. He was only eleven years old, but a bright wizard, and he had plans that would rock Hogwarts down to its dungeons. However, stumbling across an unconscious blond boy in the only open compartment on the train was not part of his plans.

Atobe gazed at the sleeping boy with distaste. The boy had disorderly blond hair and was wearing properly coordinated muggle clothes, unlike many of the witches and wizards that disguised themselves when delivering their magical children to King’s Cross Station. (Atobe's muggle clothes were perfect, if you were wondering, thank you very much.) That meant the boy was a muggle-born—a person without magical parents—or he had at least one muggle parent.

If Atobe had any other option besides sitting with the sleeping boy, he would, but he was not so lucky. So he closed the compartment door behind him and sat on the bench opposite the boy, not sure whether he wanted the boy to remain unconscious the entire ride or to wake up.

Suddenly, the train lurched forward, steam pouring down the side of the train as the gears whirred to life. The boy jerked with the train, rolling onto the floor with a solid thump.

“Oww,” the boy said, rubbing his head, where Atobe was sure a lump would form.

“Nice to see you awake,” Atobe said, keeping his voice impartial.

The boy sat up and gawked at Atobe, who frowned and wondered why the boy was staring like that. How hard had he hit his head? Was there something on his robes?

“You weren’t there when I went to sleep, were you?”

“No,” Atobe said, with a short shake of his head. “My name is Atobe Keigo. You would do well to remember it.”

He held out his hand. The boy grabbed his hand, but did not shake it, instead using it to hoist himself to his feet. He sat directly next to Atobe, though the other bench he had been sleeping on was empty. Atobe startled.

“I’m Akutagawa, but you can call me Jirou.” Akutagawa had a large, toothy smile and pale freckles. He turned to face Atobe and sat cross-legged, inching towards Atobe without realizing it. “Do you know anything about Hogwarts? I’m a muggle-born so I don’t know much about it, but I’m super excited!”

Uncomfortable with how close they were—Akutagawa seemed oblivious—Atobe pressed as close to the window as possible. He could see the platform disappearing in the distance. The train had departed without him noticing.

“I know everything about Hogwarts,” Atobe said proudly. “What do you want to know?”

“Do we actually get to _fly_ on broomsticks?”

“Any decent wizard can fly on a broomstick. There’s even a sport played on brooms called Quidditch. I heard a rumor that first years will be allowed for their house teams to try out this year. I’m not aiming so low, though. I plan on joining the house team and becoming captain this year.”

“That sounds so cool! So you can fly? Is Quidditch like football? I play football. What are houses? Can we pick them?”

They hardly stayed on a topic for more than five seconds, and for each question Atobe answered, Akutagawa had several more, most of which were unrelated. Akutagawa admired Atobe’s skills and knowledge at all the right times, something Atobe appreciated and found confidence in.

Their conversation only stopped when the door to their compartment opened. Atobe gazed fixatedly at the intruders, while Akutagawa turned and stared with large, excited eyes.

There were two boys, one of which Atobe recognized instantly as his former classmate and rival, Tezuka Kunimitsu. Tezuka was the only person at their previous school that could match Atobe on a broom. He was sure the same would hold true once they arrived at Hogwarts. Not many were as they skilled as they were. 

Standing next to Tezuka was a small, skinny boy with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a disturbing smile.

“Do you mind if we sit with you, Atobe?” Tezuka asked, sounding too formal for an eleven year old. “We’ve been up and down the entire train three times.”

“Sure!” Akutagawa said happily, answering for both of them. “Atobe was just talking about this candy that makes your tongue melt off.”

“That sounds like fun,” Tezuka’s friend said.

Tezuka closed the door, and he and his friend sat on the bench across from Atobe and Akutagawa.

“My name is Fuji, by the way,” the boy said with an overly pleasant smile. Atobe already knew Fuji was not the type of person he wanted on his bad side.

“How did you two met?” Atobe asked, curious as he looked between the two. If Fuji had been at school with Tezuka and Atobe, he would have known. Fuji was not from any pure-blood family in England, nor was he from a prominent family the likes of Atobe.

“Tezuka and I met in Diagon Alley,” Fuji explained, “and just happened to run into each other again.”

Not moments after Tezuka and Fuji arrived, there here was a soft knock at the door before it was opened. An elderly woman with curled white hair smiled warmly at them.

“Anything from the trolley?” she asked kindly.

The trolley was covered in containers overflowing with colorful, sugary treats—Chocolate Frogs, Jelly Slugs, Cauldron Cakes, Chocoballs, and dozens more that Atobe could not see from his seat.

Akutagawa bounded over to the cart with great enthusiasm. Atobe was not overly surprised. While their conversation was scattered, much of it revolved around candy. Akutagawa had an obvious sweet tooth. 

“What’s that?” Akutagawa asked. Before the old lady pushing the cart could answer, he pointed to something else. “Oh, what are _those_?”

“You must be a muggle-born,” the woman said.

“Yup!”

Atobe reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch that jingled as he walked to the door.

“Ma’am, I’d like to buy everything on the cart,” Atobe said, holding up the pouch.

The old woman looked shocked. She took the pouch, giving Atobe a skeptical look, and peered inside.

“Oh my,” she whispered. “This is far more than you’d need for all of that…”

“For your trouble, then,” Atobe said.

The woman sighed. “Well, there are no rules against it. Just don’t come moaning to me when other kids begin to ask where their sweets are, okay, boy?” 

“I assure you that I’ll have no problems handling that.” Atobe pushed back his hair, in what he supposed was a charming way.

The woman took out the proper amount of coins, handing Atobe the pouch back when she was done. Atobe was about to protest when the woman said, "Save it for another day. You never know when you or your friend will want to buy a treat."

Atobe and Akutagawa carried all of the candy and sweets from the cart to the room, and smiled at the trolley lady as she left, shaking her head and muttering about kids. She did not seem upset, but amused.

“You’re all welcome to whatever you want—it’s yours,” Atobe said to Akutagawa, Tezuka, and Fuji. He moved aside several boxes of Chocolate Frogs to sit down, taking one to open and eat. He put his back to the window, facing Akutagawa.

“You know I don’t like candy,” Tezuka said.

“Why not?” Akutagawa asked, shocked.

Akutagawa was picking through boxes and bags, looking overwhelmed. It was likely that a muggle-born like Akutagawa did not know what half of the treats were. Atobe had no doubt that Akutagawa would try at least one of everything before they arrived at Hogsmeade Station.

“I had a bad experience with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans when I was young,” Tezuka said.

“Earwax?” Fuji asked.

“Vomit,” Tezuka said.

“I’ve always wanted to try one of those, but I’ve never found one,” Fuji said with a thoughtful expression. “Rotten egg is my favorite flavor. The soap-flavor also has a bad reputation, but it’s actually quite enjoyable.”

Atobe reached into the pile of candy, found a box of the oddly flavored jellybeans, and handed it to Akutagawa.

“This is what they’re talking about,” Atobe said. He opened a Chocolate Frog, which jumped onto his lap. “I once saw someone eat a handful and afterwards, they refused to eat for a week.”

Akutagawa opened the box, pulled out a white bean with specks, and popped it into his mouth without fear. He may be a Gryffindor, Atobe mused, as he snatched his candy frog before it jumped onto Akutagawa.

“Coconut,” Akutagawa said. He ate another. “Pumpkin. Toffee. Strawberry. These all taste good—I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

“Beginner’s luck,” Atobe said, amused.

“If he were lucky, he would have picked horseradish,” Fuji said.

“Something is wrong with your tongue, Fuji," Tezuka said.

Fuji smiled.

Atobe ate his Chocolate Frog in four bites, starting with the side since the head was too barbaric and the end was too fowl. He flipped his card around, reading it.

“What should I try next?” Akutagawa asked.

“Cauldron Cakes are always nice,” Fuji said.

“Pumpkin Pasties are good,” Tezuka said.

“I thought you didn’t like sweets,” Atobe said absentmindedly, still very focused on his Chocolate Frog card. 

Tezuka sighed.

It was quite enjoyable, helping Akutagawa discover the joys of wizarding sweets. Atobe had never met a muggle-born his age. He wondered if muggle sweets were as good as wizarding sweets, and decided he would have to ask Akutagawa later, when the blond did not have a mouth full of Jelly Slugs.

There was another knock and the compartment opened. This time, a boy with blue hair and a pretty face walked inside, while his friend with a horribly styled hair stood outside in the hall.

Atobe looked up from his Chocolate Frog card, eyeing them.

“Hello, Tezuka,” the blue-haired boy said, smiling and waving. “Nice to see you again.”

Atobe did not like the strange boy’s smile.It was different from Fuji's honest yet disturbing smile. It looked real, but it was far from genuine. It was rehearsed. Atobe would know—he had been taught the same smile at a young age. 

“Yukimura,” Tezuka said.

“Yukimura?” Atobe said. “From the pure-blood Yukimuras?”

“Yes. This is my friend, Yanagi. And who might you be?”

Atobe tossed his Chocolate Frog card into the small pile of rubbish on the floor. Confidently, he introduced himself, “Atobe Keigo.”

“I’m Akutagawa, but you can just call me Jirou! Are you first years?”

Yanagi answered, “Yes, we are. Are you?”

Akutagawa nodded. He picked up a lollipop, offering it to Fuji, who had hardly had anything to eat except a few Bertie Bott’s Beans and some Chocoballs.

“No, thank you, Jirou,” Fuji said. Tezuka gently nudged Fuji with his elbow, causing Fuji to look at Yukimura and Yanagi. “Ah, my name is Fuji. Nice to met you.”

Akutagawa unwrapped his lollipop, the plastic crinkling. The noise caught Yukimura’s attention. Yukimura smiled again.

“We were wondering if we could have some sweets.” Yukimura reached into his pocket for a small pouch. “I can pay.”

Atobe bet the pouch was full of galleons. The Yukimuras were among the wealthiest of the remaining pure-blood families, though there was little competition for the title. 

Most pure-blood families had died out long ago, leaving only a few behind, along with their closely related, well-standing half-blood families.

“I already bought it and it’s mine,” Atobe said. He had no desire to eat his weight in chocolate, but Akutagawa was still eagerly devouring the candy he had eyed so excitedly. It would be wrong to give it away now.

“You can have my share, Yukimura,” Tezuka said. Atobe glared at him. “I told you I don’t eat candy when you gave it to me. It’ll be a waste to not eat it.”

Atobe crossed his arms and pointedly did not look at either Yukimura or Yanagi. There was no way Akutagawa could possibly eat an entire trolley’s worth of sweets, but it was the principle of it that bothered him. Giving what others gave you was simply rude.

Yukimura gave Tezuka several galleons to give to Atobe, who refused to take them. Yukimura and Yanagi filled their pockets with candies and treats, and scooped up as much as they could, and left.

With the compartment door closed, Atobe reached for a Jelly Slug.

“How do you know them, Tezuka?” Atobe asked, biting off the end of the Jelly Slug with as much elegance as the act allowed.

“I don’t know Yanagi, but Yukimura and I attended the Hawkridge Institute together,” Tezuka said.

“The school you went to before coming to mine," Atobe said. 

Tezuka nodded. He tossed the bag of coins into Atobe’s lab.

“Yukimura and I flew together, along with his friend Sanada. They’re both good flyers.”

Atobe fixed him a look. “Sanada Atsuko’s child?”

“I don’t know his parents’ names,” Tezuka said, “but I know he has an older brother in Slytherin.”

“Sanada Atsuko is head of the Auror Department,” Fuji noted.

Atobe nodded. “I know she has one child at Hogwarts and another around our age. The family details of prominent aurors are well-kept secrets, but I’ve overheard her talking to my father several times.”

“If it’s meant to be a secret, then we shouldn’t talk about it,” Tezuka said.

Atobe took another bite of his Jelly Slug. He looked at Akutagawa and nearly laughed.

Akutagawa had a small mountain of candy in his lap, a Chocoball in one hand, a block of No Melt Ice-Cream in his other, and a Liquorice Wand hanging out of his mouth. The lollipop from moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

“You really like your candy, Jirou,” Fuji commented, smiling.

Akutagawa nodded. Atobe stopped himself from smiling and took another bite of candy. Akutagawa did not seem to mind sharing so there was no problem, in the end.

 

* * *

 

The train lurched to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. In the chaos that followed—hundreds of students exiting the train at once, prefects were shouting, first years were heading towards the boats—Atobe and Akutagawa were separated from Tezuka and Fuji.

When they boarded a small dingy encrusted with barnacles, two strangers piled in after them. The first had candy apple red hair. The other had hair as long as a girl’s pulled up into a ponytail despite looking very boyish, and swore as he stepped into the boat, which wobbled with the threat of spilling all four of them into the lake.

“Bloody hell. Stupid boat.”

Atobe gripped the disgusting, dirty rim of the dingy to steady himself. Akutagawa smiled as they rocked back and forth.

The long-haired boy managed to sit without the boat flipping. He noticed Atobe’s glare.

“Don’t look at me like that,” the boy snapped.

Atobe continued to glare at him, unimpressed and unafraid.

“Just leave it,” his redheaded friend said. “You almost capsized the boat. I’d be mad too.”

“You guys are funny,” Akutagawa said. “I’m Jirou. This is Atobe.”

“I’m Mukahi. That’s Shishido.”

Aided by magic, the boat shoved off from the shore, moving unreasonably slow before picking up something that resembled speed. A lantern on the tip of the ship lit, a tiny orange flame flickering to life.

Akutagawa leaned over the edge of the boat and gazed down at the black water. “I wonder what’s at the bottom,” he said, when they were halfway across the lake.

“I don’t know,” Mukahi said. “Maybe a sunken ship?”

“Buried treasure,” Shishido suggested, grinning.

“Pirate skeletons!” Akutagawa exclaimed.

“A giant squid, actually,” Atobe said, with face straight, and everyone turned to stare at him. Atobe smirked, daring them to challenge him, when he knew that he was right.

“Know it all,” Shishido said.

The topic quickly passed. Akutagawa talked with Shishido and Mukahi for the duration of the boat trip. There was a great deal of laughing and smiling.

Atobe remained silent, though he listened as he gazed upon the castle standing before them. Hogwarts Castle was a grand place befitting a king such as himself.

When the first years reached the shore, they were led inside the castle to a large room in front of two enormous gilded doors. An older witch in magenta robes and a matching pointed hat stood in front of them.

“You can call me Professor Ryuzaki.” The woman’s voice boomed over them without the use of magic. “In a few moments I’ll be taking you into the Great Hall to be sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Your achievements will earn your house points and your failures will lose them. At the end of the year, the House Cup is presented to the house with the most points. It’s just a bit of friendly competition, but everyone should take it seriously. My house, Gryffindor, has won the Cup the past three years.

“During the ceremony, I will call all of you up by name. All you have to do is come forward, sit on the stool, and the Sorting Hat will take care of the rest. After you’ve been sorted, go and sit at your house table.

“Ready?” Professor Ryuzaki asked. She did not wait for an answer. “Good. Let’s go.”

The doors to the Great Hall opened with a rusty groan. The first years huddled together, far too close for Atobe’s comfort, as they followed Professor Ryuzaki into the grand, enormous hall filled with older students, golden goblets, and ceiling enchanted to look like the night sky. At the front of the room, past the four tables that stretched its length, one table for each house, was a table of the school’s professor and a lone stool with a dusty, old, ripped hat.

The first years stopped in front of the stool, where Professor Ryuzaki stood with a scroll of names. She said, “I’m sure you’re all hungry so I’ll hurry this along. Before I can begin the Sorting ceremony, the Sorting Hat has a song for us.”

Several first years gasped as the old hat opened one of its folds and began to sing.

The song spoke of the four houses—the brave Gryffindors, the clever Ravenclaws, the cunning Slytherins, and the kind Hufflepuffs.

The Great Hall thundered with applause, which was quieted when Professor Ryuzaki stepped forward with a large scroll and called off the first name.

Akutagawa leaned over to Atobe, loudly whispering, “Hey, Atobe, what house do you want to go in? They all sounded cool!”

Atobe had no preference. He had heard of entire families being sorted into a single house, but that did not apply to Atobe.

“Anywhere will be lucky to have me,” Atobe said.

Akutagawa was among the first names called. He sat on the stool, kicking his legs, and sat with the hat on his head.

“RAVENCLAW!” the hat shouted to Atobe’s relative surprise.

Once Akutagawa was seated at the Ravenclaw table, Professor Ryuzaki called out the next name.

“Atobe Keigo.”

Atobe practically parted the crowd as he walked by with no hesitation in his stride. This moment held an enormous amount of weight, but he was not afraid. His house would determine where he would rule from the next seven years, but he would succeed anywhere.

He sat on the stool, keeping his head high, and exhaled as the hat was placed on his head.

_“Atobe, she said… You may share the name, but not the blood, or am I wrong?”_

When Atobe did not acknowledge the hat, it laughed inside his head. Atobe frowned in annoyance.

_“You are proud, and very cunning, with ambition to spare. You can only hope to accomplish your dreams in Slytherin!”_

_“Hardly,”_ Atobe scoffed mentally, thinking instead of speaking.

 _“You think I am wrong?”_ the hat asked. “ _You have the potential to be great_ _and Slytherin will help you along the way.”_

_“I do not need to others to carry me to my goals. I will make myself king of these halls at any cost by using my own strength. By saying that Slytherin is the only house where I can accomplish my dreams, you are wrong. The house does not matter.”_

_“A fair point,”_ the hat said, sounding very amused. _“You have insight and wisdom beyond your years. If not Slytherin, then it must be…“_

“RAVENCLAW!”

Atobe held his head high with confidence, taking in the applause and cheers, as he walked straight towards the Ravenclaw table where he sat next to Akutagawa.

“We’re in the same house!” Akutagawa said, ecstatic.

Atobe fixed his hair, wondering just when that hat was last washed.

“You’re fortunate to be spending the next seven years here in my close company,” Atobe said.

“Does this mean we’re friends?”

Atobe gave him slightly startled a look. “I never said that.”

Akutagawa was already bouncing, flushing with excitement, and making a noise that sounded something like a squeal. “ _Awesome!_ I’ve already made a friend!”

Atobe didn’t have it in him to hurt Akutagawa’s feelings so he smiled and said nothing, choosing instead to listen to the Sorting. Besides, Atobe had no qualms with calling Akutagawa a friend, though he was sure that his understanding of what a friend was and Akutagawa’s understanding were very different.

Atobe recognized many names as the sorting continued, but only a few caught his full attention.

Fuji was sorted into Slytherin; the hat had barely touched his head before making its decision.

Mukahi Gakuto was sorted into Hufflepuff, while his friend Shishido Ryou was sorted into Gryffindor.

Tezuka walked up to the stool and sat, looking impartial, but Atobe recognized the subtle hints of anxiety. Tezuka sat with his hands firmly on his knees and his back was too straight for his natural posture. He was put in Hufflepuff.

The last named called was Yukimura Seiichi and the strangest thing happened when the sorting hat was placed atop his blue hair. The hat laughed, loudly, for everyone in the Great Hall to hear, which caused a great deal of whispering to begin.

Moments later, the hat shouted out, “SLYTHERIN!”

Yukimura joined Sanada and Yanagi at the Slytherin table.

Professor Ryuzaki picked up the hat and levitated the stool, and moved to the side.

A young professor with long disorderly brown hair stood up. It was Professor Kurobe, the temporary replacement for the missing headmaster. Atobe recognized him from the articles that came out several years ago when the real headmaster disappeared without a word.

“I welcome back our old students as well as the new ones,” Professor Kurobe said loudly, his voice carrying. “For those who do not know me, I am Professor Kurobe, the substitute Headmaster, as well as your resident Potions Master. I have several notices that I must share with you before we can begin the start-of-term banquet.

“First, a reminder that forest surrounding the grounds is off limits to students of all ages. Next, magic is not permitted in the corridors. Lastly, those interested in joining their house Quidditch team should wait for information to be posted in the common rooms.

“I expect great things from you this year, as I always do, but for now, please enjoy this wonderful feast!”

The baskets, plates, bowls, and goblets were suddenly overflowing with food. Baskets of teaming rolls dripping with butter were passed along the table, while others reached for the main dishes—steak and kidney pie, full chickens, roast beef, and lamb chops. The Great Hall was filled with laughter and conversation as people filled their plates and stomachs with the delectable dishes.

Atobe began to put names to faces as the other first years talked and introduced themselves. There was Inui and Oishi, who had met on the train, and Yagyuu, who was asking a prefect about their head of house.

“That would be Professor Sakaki,” the prefect said, pointing to a man at the staff table in indigo robes. “He teaches Ancient Runes. He’s a bit intimidating and people joke that he’s running the school from the shadows, but no one has found any proof.”

A boy named Konjiki was crying into a handkerchief, mourning the fact that his childhood friend had been placed in a different house. A dark skinned boy named Chitose was attempting to comfort him, but looked awfully awkward.

No one stood out as particularly strong, potential rivals. Atobe was not sure whether or not he was disappointed at the prospect of his strongest and possibly only rival being in Hufflepuff—Tezuka. He decided that he would rather face off against someone as strong as Tezuka and that it was better this way, because it wouldn’t be far to the other houses to have both of them on the same team anyways.

Atobe listened and observed as he ate his main course, waiting for dessert to make his declaration. When large bowls of pudding, blocks of ice-cream, pies, and cakes stacked on elegant golden stands appeared, Atobe stood up. He snapped his fingers, gaining attention, and spoke with unwavering pride and confidence. 

“My name is Atobe Keigo,” he announced, his voice loud enough for everyone at his table to hear. “I’ll say one thing. From this day forward, I will be the king of Ravenclaw and soon, of Hogwarts!”

The entire Ravenclaw table fell into silence. Several of the older students glared and rolled their eyes, while others seemed amused by his proclamation. His fellow first years were left speechless. Akutagawa was the only one with an expression of awe.

The first person to speak and break the silence was, surprisingly, not a person at all.

The ghosts had descended into the Great Hall, coming in through the solid stone walls. The pearly white ghost of a young woman wearing a dress from several hundred years ago glided elegantly alongside the Ravenclaw table towards the first years.

“It is best for hatchlings to observe their elders before taking flight,” the ghost advised, her eyes fixed on Atobe, “or they may plummet before they realize their own inability.”

“You must be the Grey Lady,” Atobe said, his voice even. “Ravenclaw’s house ghost.”

The ghost nodded. Gently, to the rest of the first years, she said, “If any of you are lost, in either body or mind, seek me out and I will gladly help you find your way.”

The ghost began to float away.

“I have a question,” Atobe said, unfazed by her speech. The Grey Lady stopped and looked at him once more as he asked, “How did the first bird learn to fly with nothing to watch?”

The ghost smiled, said, “Contrary to what you may think, you are not the first bird to fly in the house of eagles,” and drifted down the table to talk to the older Ravenclaws.

Atobe sat down reluctantly.

Akutagawa reached across Atobe for a piece of chocolate cake. “I have no idea what you two were saying, but it sounded smart.”

“Atobe lost,” Inui said, pushing up his glasses.

“Inui,” Oishi whispered. He laughed nervously as he looked at Atobe. “That was a, um, nice speech, Atobe!”

“I liked it!” Akutagawa said, mouth full of cake.

 

* * *

 

When the feast began to come to a close, a seventh year prefect from the Ravenclaw table stood up and instructed the first years to follow them to the house dorms. Ravenclaw was the first group to leave the Great Hall, and all eyes were on the first years as they left.

“Welcome to Ravenclaw,” the prefect said warmly as they ascended the moving staircases. “Our house has the cleverest witches and wizards. Our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, prized learning above all else. It’s even our house motto: wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.”

The speech sounded rehearsed, and Atobe already knew all of this, but he listened anyways.

“People in our house are the most unique. You might consider some of your housemates strange, or eccentric, but that’s what people like about being in Ravenclaw. Unlike some of the other houses here at Hogwarts, you can believe what you want and say what you feel without being judged.”

The first years were led up a spiraling staircase that began on the fifth floor. Atobe had read that Ravenclaw Tower was the second tallest in the entire castle, second only to the Astronomy Tower.

“You’ll be expected to answer a riddle to enter the tower. The riddle changes every day at midnight. When you knock on the door, an enchanted bronze knocker made by Rowena Ravenclaw herself will ask you the day’s riddle.”

The prefect reached the top of the spiral staircase and stopped in front of what Atobe was assumed was the door. It was a panel of wood that had no doorknob or keyhole, only the head of a bronze eagle.

“Don’t worry about getting it right. If you’re unable to answer, you’ll just have to wait for someone else to answer it. Ravenclaws are usually quick learners. Older students can teach you tricks to solving them, or they’ll just give you the answer if they’re in a hurry. Blair, one of the fifth year prefects, will help you until you figure it out but will never give you the answer, even if it makes her late to class.”

Exhaling deeply, as if to calm down, the prefect knocked on the wooden door.

The bronze knocker opened its beak and asked, “What lies at the bottom of the unknown?”

The first years broke into confused whispering. Atobe did not immediately know the answer, so he did not expect the other first years to know either.

Atobe began to wonder if even the prefect knew the answer to the riddle. It would be embarrassing if they didn’t, after spending so much time talking about the intelligence of Ravenclaw students.

But the prefect brightened, their stiff shoulders relaxing, and it became clear that they did know the answer.

“The unknown has no edges or bottom,” the prefect said. “It is limitless.”

The bronze eagle closed its beak with a click. There was a heavy thud of something like gears moving between the thick stone walls before the door swung slowly open.

“Are the riddles always this hard?” a girl asked.

“I don’t know if I could’ve figure that out,” a boy muttered.

“You get used to it,” the prefect said, “and like I said, people will help you. You can guess as many times as you want.”

Inside the tower was a large circular room, with arched windows that provided views of every corner of the Hogwarts grounds—the lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch Pitch, and the Herbology gardens. Within the common room, there was a large fireplace, and an impressive marble statue of the house’s founder. Dozens of bookcases were scattered throughout the room. The plush blue chairs and sofas were arranged within reaching distance of each bookcase. There were even ladders to reach the higher bookcases, which were flanked by wooden lofts with extra seating.

The prefect cleared their throat to gain the first years’ attention.

“Your dormitories are the turrets coming off the main tower. The staircases on the left lead to the girls’ rooms, and the one on the right leads to the boys’.”

It wasn’t long until the prefect released them to unpack and prepare for class tomorrow. Atobe and the other boys scaled the spiraling stairs, which had doors with silver name plaques every few steps. At the top of the tower, the first years began to find their rooms.

Atobe finally found his name on the door at the very top of the tower. Written in elegant but legible cursive were three names: Akutagawa Jirou, Atobe Keigo, and Taki Haginosuke.

“Jirou,” Atobe said, “we’re in here.”

“You mean we’re roommates?” Akutagawa asked, scurrying up the stairs to meet him. He smiled and opened the door.

The room was bright with the light form oil lamps, with stone walls and another door opposite of where they had entered. All of the furniture was pressed against the walls, leaving a large open space in the center of the room. Each of the three had their own set of furniture: a four poster bed covered in sky blue silk eiderdowns, a cabinet, a desk and chair, and a nightstand.

“That looks so comfy!” Akutagawa said moments before jumped onto the nearest bed, bouncing slightly as the springs creaked beneath his weight. He grabbed a pillow, exclaiming excitedly, “They have feathers in them! These would be great for pillow fights.”

Atobe glanced around the room for his belongings, which were tucked underneath one of the beds. Their black robes, now emblazoned with the Ravenclaw house sigil, were hanging in the cabinets.

Their third and final roommate, Taki, a boy with styled light brown hair and a rather small stature, came into the room some moments later. He recognized Atobe instantly, though not for the reason Atobe was expecting.

“You made that announcement at dinner,” Taki said. “I saw you.”

“It’s true. I will be the man who will be king of Ravenclaw and then Hogwarts.”

“And you’re Atobe Keisuke’s son, right?”

 _That_ had not been the reason Atobe had expected. Most people did not know the name of the person who owned the _Daily Prophet_. They may know the editor-in-chief, but not the owner. 

“My father is in charge of the potions section on page three so I recognize the names of important _Prophet_ workers,” Taki explained in a hurry, as if he was suddenly embarrassed to have brought it up. “Your parents are just about the most important, along with the editor.”

“Page three of what?” Akutagawa asked.

“The _Daily Prophet_ ,” Taki said. “Atobe’s parents own the entire newspaper.”

“Is that a big deal?”

“No,” Atobe said, before Taki could say anything. “My parents own the paper. I own nothing. Therefore, it’s irrelevant.”

Taki looked shocked, his mouth hanging open.

“Taki, whatever you do or say around me will have no affect on your father’s job,” Atobe said sternly. “Understood?”

Taki slowly nodded.

“Good,” Atobe said. He stuck out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I will make these next seven years great. You should join me."

Taki hesitantly took his hand. “Um, yeah, okay.”

Atobe smiled, not in mocking or jest, but in honest amusement. Taki was very easy to read.

They had a lot ahead of them, and Atobe needed honest people like Akutagawa and Taki to keep him in check. That was Kabaji’s job, but he would not be at Hogwarts for another year. Until then, he had Akutagawa and Taki.


	2. Ravenclaw

It took fifteen minutes for Taki to wake Akutagawa while Atobe unhelpfully stood against the post of his bed, grooming his nails and watching with a mildly unimpressed expression. Taki had taken Akutagawa’s pillow, his sheets, and had even dragged him out of bed and onto the wood floor, but the blond remained soundly asleep.

“WAKE UP!” Taki shouted.

Akutagawa sat up, looking rather dazed.

Taki felt rather victorious. Then a sinking feeling grew in his stomach—would he have to do this every day for the next seven years?

“Jirou, you need an alarm clock,” Taki said with a heavy sigh. He would not go through this every morning for seven years.

“But I have one!” Akutagawa reached up to his nightstand and picked up a small silver clock with two bells on the top, turning it over a couple of times and tapping the glass. “It must be broken.”

“It’s not broken,” Atobe said. He walked over, took the clock from Akutagawa, and studied it the way Akutagawa had. “This has some electrical component, doesn’t it?”

“Batteries. Do those count?”

“They must because electronics don’t work inside Hogwarts,” Atobe said, returning the clock.

“Then how did you two wake up?” Akutagawa asked.

“My internal clock is always on time,” Atobe said.

Akutagawa looked at Taki, hoping for a more helpful answer.

“There are clocks that run on charms,” Taki said. “My parents bought me a clock that was already charmed so I don’t know the spell, but maybe an older muggle-born student will know. We need to hurry if we want breakfast, though.”

“We’ll meet you in the common room,” Atobe said, lifting his bag over his shoulder as he headed towards the door.

“Don’t forget anything or you’ll have to solve the riddle by yourself to get back in,” Taki reminded, following after Atobe.

Akutagawa dressed sluggishly. He took so long that Taki wondered if he fell back to sleep. But eventually Akutagawa came down and met them in front of the fire. Akutagawa was in his uniform, but hadn’t even tied his blue and bronze tie, which he put around his neck without tying. Taki was extremely bothered by this and tied Aktuagawa’s tie before they left the common room.

On their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, they were tripped up by the moving staircases twice. First they were stuck for five whole minutes, waiting for the stubborn staircase to move, which had to be done by tickling the railing three steps down. Then Akutagawa stepped on one particular spot that turned the entire staircase into a slide, taking them down along with several other Ravenclaws. Taki and Akutagawa laughed, while Atobe made a fuss about dusting off his robes and straightening his tie.

As they filled their plates with food—eggs cooked in every way possible, toast with marmalade, sausage links, and fresh fruit—the first years eagerly discussed their class schedule. The older students were happy to share their opinions and tips.

“Fifth years in Potions take turns making a huge batch of Invigoration Draught every Sunday to help students stay awake for Astronomy. They make it in the common room."

“History of Magic is great for naps. Professor Binns doesn’t even care unless you snore. Get your friend to cast a Silencing Charm and you’re good to go.”

“Everyone thinks Professor Saito has giant blood in his family because he’s so tall, but never ask him if it’s true. The man is head of Slytherin, after all. You’d probably disappear if you asked!”

“You don’t get to have Professor Sakaki, our head of house, until your third year, but you can go to him with questions from any class and he’ll give you a helpful book on the subject. Just make sure you return it in a timely manner.”

“Professor Watanabe will give you an extension on your homework if you show him a cool charm in his office. I once made his suit of armor sing opera in Italian.”

“And whatever you do, don’t piss off Professor Reyna.”

The older students all nodded sagely.

“What does Professor Reyna teach?” Taki asked.

“She teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Unfortunately, no one had the time to ask anything else, not even _why_ they shouldn’t anger Professor Reyna.

The first years gathered their things and left for their first class. Atobe led the group out of the Great Hall and up the grand staircase, walking without doubt, as if he already knew the castle inside and out. Everyone else, who was hesitant and overwhelmed by the castle’s layout, followed him without question.

Taki wondered if Atobe actually knew where he was going, or if he was bluffing. Either way, they made it to their first class without getting turned around or lost.

 

* * *

 

Professor Reyna, they soon learned, was the intimidating Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. They arrived at her classroom on the third floor and found the Hufflepuffs waiting outside, some of them with their ears pressed to the door as they tried to listen in.

It seemed like more than just the Ravenclaw first years were interested in Professor Reyna.

Akutagawa suddenly separated from their trio and came back moments later, dragging a redheaded Hufflepuff by his wrist. The redhead didn’t seem to be forced and allowed himself to be led to Taki and Atobe.

“I found Mukahi!” Akutagawa said happily, releasing Mukahi’s wrist. “Do you know Taki? He’s our roommate.”

“Hey,” Mukahi said, looking at Taki.

Akutagawa, Taki was coming to realize, had the strangest talent for making friends, or for dragging people places without being hexed for it.

“What do you know about our professor?” Mukahi asked. “We were told she takes a practical approach to teaching.”

“We heard not to scare her,” Taki said.

Mukahi nodded slowly, obviously unsure how to interpret that. Taki still wasn’t sure how to interpret it either.  

“Slytherin and Gryffindor are in there now,” Mukahi said. “We heard a lot of banging around when we got here, like the desks were being moved.”

“That’s odd,” Atobe said, looking curiously at the closed doors.

Just then, the doors opened inward and the gathering of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws moved aside to let the Slytherins and Gryffindors exit the classroom. Some wore grave expressions, muttering and cursing, while others remained silent and unreadable.

“Was she serious about losing all those points?” a Gryffindor girl said to her friends.

“Does the substitute Headmaster know she does that to students?” a Slytherin asked. “That has to be against school rules.”

Taki frowned. What exactly was so horrible about Professor Reyna?

“Shishido!” Mukahi called out. A boy from Gryffindor, who had a tired expression and long hair in a ponytail, came over to them.

“You won’t believe that class,” Shishido said. “That lady is bloody mad.”

“What happened?” Taki asked. Shishido gave him a confused look; they didn’t know each other. “Oh, I’m Taki.”

Shishido nodded in acknowledgement then said, “She starts off with this lecture about defending yourself and attacks you—fires spells right at you!”

“Actual spells?” Mukahi asked in disbelief.

“Well, paint,” Shishido said, “but it was still a spell.”

“Don’t tell me you were terrorized by _paint_ ,” Atobe said. Taki could not tell if he was making a joke, being condescending, or both.

Shishido glared at him. “Great. You again.” His voice was thick with sarcasm. He obviously had an issue with Atobe, though Taki had no idea why.

Atobe met his glare and coldly replied, “Have you nearly capsized any boats today, Shishido?”

“Don’t egg him on by being a jerk, Atobe,” Mukahi said.

“Shishido!” someone from down the hall called.

A small group of Gryffindors were waving at him and calling him over.

“I gotta go,” Shishido said. He looked at Mukahi, Taki, and Akutagawa, but pointedly not at Atobe. “Good luck with Professor Reyna.”

“We don’t need luck,” Atobe said. “Not while I’m around.”

Akutagawa smiled at Atobe, not doubt thinking that he was very cool. Taki thought it was pretty cool as well, but Shishido looked ready to start a duel.

Shishido jogged down the hall and joined the group of Gryffindors, which disappeared around the corner.

Taki turned his attention to the group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that still lingered outside the classroom. No one had entered the room, despite the doors being open.

“Hurry it up!” a woman’s voice called from inside.

No one moved.

Then, with confidence that Taki was admittedly jealous of, Atobe stepped forward and walked through the doors and into the classroom. Taki, Akutagawa, and Mukahi followed him inside, and everyone else entered the room behind them.

The desks had been pushed against the walls and stacked on top of one another, which would explain the banging Mukahi had heard.

The shadow of a large dragon skeleton that hung from the ceiling was cast onto the wooden floor. Its wings were spread out while its body ran the length of the room, twisted along the rafters. It was a bare, cold room that made Taki uncomfortable.

Yet the classroom was not as intimidating as their professor, who stood at the front of the high-walled room in all black robes. She was not particularly old, but she certainly was not young as her black hair had several large streaks of gray. Her eyes flicked from person to person.

When the last student had entered, with a wave of her wand, the doors closed.

“I am Professor Reyna,” she said. “Until I say so, I am your enemy.”

Taki leaned towards Mukahi and whispered, “Is this what Shishido meant about being attacked?”

“I guess?” Mukahi said, unsure.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts is all about survival.” Professor Reyna began to pace the room, looking at as many of them as she could, with an unwavering gaze. “Whatever situation you are in—whether it be an encounter with a dark creature, or a duel with an evil wizard—your first instinct should be to survive.”

Professor Reyna pointed her wand at the wooden floor and a thick glob of white paint hit the ground. She then pointed the wand at her students.

“If you get hit by the paint, you die.” Taki and Mukahi exchanged startled looks. They understood what Shishido had meant. “For every Hufflepuff who dies, Ravenclaw will lose a point; for every Ravenclaw who dies, Hufflepuff will lose a point.”

There was a bit of grumbling, people wondering if they had heard the professor correctly.

“You have two minutes before I attack,” Professor Reyna said, pulling out a silver pocket watch. “You may use anything in this room to your advantage, but you may not leave. I will not move from this spot. Your time starts now.”

“Now?”

“We don’t even get time to prepare!”

“Why do we lose points if someone from Hufflepuff gets hit?”

“So we just have to protect the Hufflepuffs, then we won’t lose points—“

“Who said we’ll just hide in a corner so you can keep your points safe?”

“How much time do we have?”

Atobe sighed heavily and stepped forward, turning around to face the group of first years. He lifted his hand into the air and snapped his fingers, gaining the attention of everyone in the room without saying a word.

“Follow me and neither house will lose any points,” Atobe declared.

“How?” A Hufflepuff boy walked to the front of the group. He had rounded glasses, brown hair, and a stoic expression that did not fit an eleven year old’s face. The boy asked, “Do you actually plan to protect everyone by yourself, Atobe?”

“While I acknowledge your trust in my ability, Tezuka, my plan does not involve protecting anyone. We merely have to subdue our enemy.”

“I never mentioned your ability,” Tezuka said flatly.

“So what’s your plan?” Mukahi asked, loud and straight to the point.

“One group will create a barricade around Professor Reyna with the desks,” Atobe said. “The other group will tear the curtains from the windows and drape them over the barricade. Her paint can’t hit us if she’s covered like that.”

“We have one minute and six seconds,” Inui said, looking at his own pocket watch. “If we do not come to a consensus now, there is a ninety percent chance of each house taking substantial point loss.”

“I’m in,” Akutagawa said.

“Me too,” Taki said.

“Let’s just do something before the crazy teacher starts trying to kill us,” Mukahi said in a single hurried breath.

Within a couple of seconds, everyone had agreed to help.

“Everyone on this side of the room is working on the barricade under my order,” Atobe said, dividing the room with his arm. “Everyone on the other side, follow Tezuka and take down the curtains.”

People moved surprisingly fast.

Rows of students tugged on the thick, heavy curtains like a game of tug-of-war, but they had little success. A redhead boy from Hufflepuff climbed the curtains like a rope and unhooked them from the top, dropping them down for Oishi in Ravenclaw to catch. 

The rest of the students stood in a line, passing along desks as they were taken from the stacks on the wall and handing them to Taki, Akutagawa, Mukahi, and Atobe, who placed them around Professor Reyna as Atobe dictated. Atobe explained briefly that draping the curtains over the desks was necessary; if they draped them over their professor directly, she could just knock them off.

Inui counted down the time: “Ten seconds.”

“We only have three curtains,” the redheaded Hufflepuff said.

“Just give me one!” Mukahi shouted. Someone tossed him a dark-colored curtain and he climbed up the barricade with ease. One curtain was long and thick enough to cover three sides of the barricade: the top and two sides opposite of each other.

“Get on the sides that are covered!” Atobe ordered. “Stay close to one another so you’re out of her radius.”

As Atobe commanded the troops, Taki climbed up the barricade, which stood three desks tall. It was hard to find footing with the desks right at his waist, and he didn’t want to risk knocking them on top of their professor. Mukahi had made it look so easy.  

Taki finished placing the second curtain the moment Inui said, “We’re out of time.”

With the curtain draped down, Taki slipped, nearly taking the curtain with him as he tumbled backwards and towards the ground. It was only a few feet—the fall wouldn’t hurt much—so he was surprised when someone bothered to catch him.

Akutagawa and Mukahi smiled at him, holding him by the arms as he regained his footing on the floor.

“Are you alright?” Atobe asked, walking over. “Your ankles aren’t hurt?”

“Don’t think so.”

Atobe nodded. “Good.”

Taki looked at Akutagawa and Mukahi. “Thanks.”

A group of girls came over, holding the last curtain they had managed to procure. Atobe told them to hold it up in front of as many students as they could in case their barricade failed.

It was only then that Taki realized that Professor Reyna had begun her attack.

Taki and the others hid behind the curtain, occasionally looking over it to watch. The curtains covering the barricade moved as paint hit them. When Professor Reyna realized the curtains were too heavy to be knocked off by paint, she began to aim at the desks, which scratched and creaked as they moved, tugging the curtains with them.

There was a loud crash and when Taki looked, the top desk closest to them had been knocked down, bringing down the entire barricade on top of Professor Reyna.

Students rushed over to move the desks and curtains. Atobe frowned, staying behind the curtain.

“What’s wrong?” Akutagawa asked.

“I doubt someone lecturing about survival would let the desks fall on her,” Atobe said. “Get back!”

But it was too late. Students had already moved the curtains, and Professor Reyna was still standing, untouched, not doubt by use of magic. She had stayed true to her word and had not moved from that spot.

With the curtains gone, she could freely aim at them. Both Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had gone to help and were now dead according to the rules of the game.

The students behind the last curtain moved tightly together, but Professor Reyna lowered her wand instead of aiming at them.

“That’s enough, I think.”

She waved her wand and the paint was lifted from the students’ robes. Both Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had been hit, meaning each house lost points.

Professor Reyna stepped out of the mess that had fallen down around her.

“I promise that this is the only time I will deliberately trick you like that,” she said, with a serious expression. “Trust is important in this classroom. Many of my lessons involve practical demonstration, and your tests will be physically involved. I will not tolerate any behavior that puts your fellow classmates at risk. Now get these desks in order and I'll do a roll call.”

 

* * *

 

None of their classes were quite as intense as Defense Against the Dark Arts, but each one was interesting in its own way.

They had Herbology with Gryffindor in the greenhouses behind the school to learn about magical plants and their properties. On the first day, their stumpy, elderly professor, who had a beard as long as some of the vines in the greenhouse, assigned them to groups of three. Taki was paired with Atobe and Shishido, while Akutagawa was paired with two girls from Gryffindor that struggled to keep him awake during lecture. Herbology would quickly become one of his favorite subjects.

Taki spent a galleon on a vial of Invigoration Draught, which he poured into his pumpkin juice at dinner to stay awake for Astronomy on Wednesday night. Atobe chose to drink caffeinated tea, which he made in their room; the charmed teacup followed Atobe everywhere he went until it was emptied. Akutagawa fell asleep during the first Astronomy lesson, and it took half the Ravenclaw first years to bring him up to Ravenclaw Tower without dropping him on his head.

Charms was one of Taki’s favorite lessons, which they had with Gryffindor. Professor Watanabe was a strange man in mismatching robes that sat everywhere but his desk as he taught them how to wave their wand to produce different spells.

Akutagawa slept through every History of Magic class they had and through most of Astronomy, and Taki would be several galleons that it Akutagawa’s naps would be a common occurrence. Taki spent an afternoon in the library researching a spell to copy his notes for Akutagawa and Mukahi. The Hufflepuff drifted off in History of Magic but did not come out with a drool stain on his sleeve like Akutagawa.

Outside of class, Taki spent a lot of time reading, revising, and ensuring that his assignments were perfect. When he wasn’t working on assignment, he teaching Akutagawa how to play Exploding Snap, or climbing into an unoccupied loft in the Ravenclaw common room to draw.

Some afternoons he spent exploring the castle with Shishido and Mukahi while eating sweets they bought from upperclassmen. Akutagawa napped during their excursions, and Atobe always enchanted another teacup to follow him around instead of joining them. Mukahi liked to complain about his Herbology partners: his roommate, Kikumaru Eiji, and Oshitari Yuushi from Slytherin.

By the end of the week, Taki knew the castle well enough to not get lost on his way to the Great Hall, and he even knew a shortcut from the Potions room to the Charms classroom. He avoided the step that turned the stairs into the slide, the one that disappeared on Thursdays to make you trip, and the one that laughed.

On Friday afternoon, Taki, Akutagawa, and Atobe were in the library, waiting for Mukahi and Shishido to show so they could work on their homework together. The three Ravenclaws sat at a large table in a nook where the librarian could not scold them for eating sweets, and pulled over the most comfortable-looking chairs they could find.

They had an essay in History of Magic, an assignment on werewolves for Professor Reyna, and a report for Potions. Taki was even working on redoing his notes for Charms to make them neater and more organized.

Their quills made soft scratching sounds as they were dragged across the parchment. Akutagawa looked ready to fall asleep over his star chart.

“I heard that the professors will be unlocking the broomshed tomorrow,” Taki said. “Apparently upperclassmen fly when the Pitch isn’t being used by the Quidditch teams.”

“I plan to join the Quidditch team and have access to the broomshed whenever I want,” Atobe said easily, like it was so simple for a first year to just join the Quidditch team that won last year’s Quidditch House Cup. “I’ll be the captain by the end of the year.”

“How?” Taki asked. “The captain isn’t just going to give you the title.”

“By being the best. If you’re the strongest, or the best at something, no one should have the right to question you. The strong will always survive and come out on top.”

Taki stared at his sketches of the different wand movements they had learned in Charms. He thought back on the week, on what had happened, and wondered what would happen in the following weeks and in the years to come. 

“You’re serious about taking over Ravenclaw, aren’t you?” Taki asked as he dipped his quill into his ink well. “And about being captain of the Quidditch team by the end of the year?”

“Of course,” Atobe said, not looking up from his homework. “A true man never makes such claims without the conviction to follow through.”

“I’ll help you.” This time, Atobe looked up from his scroll. Taki said, “Not that you need help. It’s just, what else am I going to do for the next seven years? Your plan sounds interesting.”

“And it sounds fun!” Akutagawa said excitedly, though he still looked rather sleepy. “I’ll follow you too, Atobe! I’ll even try out for that sports team with you.”

Atobe smiled, though he was obviously not mocking Akutagawa for his enthusiasm. Atobe was amused by it, if anything.

“Have you ever flown a broom?” Atobe asked.

“Nope,” Akutagawa said.

Taki laughed. When Mukahi and Shishido showed up, asking what was so funny, Taki didn’t have a proper answer, at least not one that would make sense to them.

Hogwarts was a crazy placed, he realized, but not as crazy as his roommates.


	3. Quidditch Tryouts

Once Atobe knew what to expect from each class, it became much easier to manage the workload and to show off his skills during lessons. After receiving top marks on his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework and brewing a perfect Cure for Boils, the other Ravenclaw first years finally began to acknowledge his greatness. People began to ask him for help on homework, crowding around him at meals and in the halls, while others asked him to play Exploding Snap during break.

Atobe, Akutagawa, and Taki descended from their room at the top of the tower to the common room where they saw a group consisting largely of first years crowded around the bulletin board.

“Why is everyone near the bulletin board?” Atobe asked, walking over to the small crowd. He snapped. “Step aside.”

Some people like Yagyuu stood firmly rooted in place, but most moved aside. Atobe had yet to conquer the entirety of the Ravenclaw first years, but he was making progress and gaining the respect he deserved.

“What’s going on?” Akutagawa asked, coming up from behind Atobe with Taki.

“Clubs, I think,” Taki said, “and flying lessons.”

There was indeed a notice about flying lessons, which would be held the first weekend of October with Slytherin.

It seemed as though every club at the school had posted their flyers overnight—Dueling Club (third year and above), Photography Club (muggle and wizard methods!), Chess Club, and Astronomy Club, among many others.

The only flyer to catch Atobe’s attention for more than a brief second had a broom flying across bottom, disappearing off the right side of the page and reappearing on the left.

 **RAVENCLAW HOUSE QUIDDITCH TEAM TRYOUTS**  
_JOIN THE REIGNING CHAMPS_

_Come to open tryouts for a chance to join the champions of last year’s Quidditch House Cup! Students of any year can tryout and join the team._

_Tryouts will be held at 11:00AM on Saturday, September 28_ _ th _ _in the Quidditch Pitch._

_Participants should not bring a broom to tryouts, as brooms will be provided. _   
_The use of enhancing spells and potions is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification._

_Direct any questions to Professor Sakaki or Captain Masters._

Atobe grinned. The rumor he heard about first years being able to tryout was correct. And now he knew the name of the person he had to overthrow to become captain of the team, his first step to become king of Ravenclaw. Captain Masters would be the first stepping-stone to his throne.

Taki and Akutagawa read the announcement over Atobe’s shoulder.

“I wonder what spell you use to make drawings move,” Taki said thoughtfully.

“Is this that sport we’re trying out for?” Akutagawa asked.

“It’s called Quidditch,” Atobe said. To clarify, he asked, “Does this mean you seriously plan on trying out, Jirou?”

“Yup!” Akutagawa turned and headed for the door with a skip in his step. “It’ll be fun. I’ll even get to ride a broom faster this way since flying lessons aren’t until after tryouts.”

It was a logical thought and something about hearing it come from Akutagawa startled Atobe. It shouldn’t have, Atobe realized, because Akutagawa had to have been placed in Ravenclaw for a reason. Atobe had yet to discover that reason, but he was sure there was one.

Akutagawa had only shown extraordinary ability in Charms, though he was no prodigy in the subject. Perhaps social skills were considered intelligence by the sorting hat?

“I’m not trying out with you two,” Taki said. “I’ve never flown before.”

“I thought you were a half-blood,” Atobe said. Taki’s father worked at the _Daily Prophet,_ which only hired witches and wizards.

“My mom’s a muggle so I grew up in a muggle neighborhood,” Taki explained. “Dad just floos to work.”

The three exited the common room and quickly made their way down the spiral staircase to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“Atobe, you’ll teach me how to play Quidditch, won’t you?” Akutagawa said. It wasn’t a question, more of an assumption.

“I can’t teach you to fly. The broom shed is off limits to students without special permission.” Atobe paused, thinking for a moment before saying, “Though I suppose I could teach you the rules. There would be no one better to learn from than me, after all.”

“So you’ve played before?” Taki asked.

“I was the star Chaser at the British Academy of Magical Academia. Tezuka from Hufflepuff played alongside me. He was the only other decent flyer at the school. I have no doubt that he will try out for the Hufflepuff house team. I will have to find another man to call my rival if he does not.”

“That’s about the answer I was expecting,” Taki said, sighing.

“I’m so excited!” Akutagawa shouted. He smiled and tossed his hands into the air. “I need to sleep in all of our classes today so I can stay focused during Quidditch lessons later.”

“I think there’s a fault in your logic, Jirou,” Taki said.

 

* * *

 

Atobe graciously spent his spare time teaching Akutagawa the basic rules of Quidditch—positions, equipment, scoring, and major fouls—and Akutagawa was nothing if not an interesting student. On more than one occasion, Atobe or Taki caught Akutagawa holding true to his word and sleeping in class if only to stay awake later and learn about Quidditch. Taki made sure to give Akutagawa copies of his notes.

After one week, tryouts had arrived, and Akutagawa had an incomplete knowledge of Quidditch, but it would be sufficient to get him through tryouts.

Whether or not Akutagawa would manage to fly was another matter entirely. Theory did not amount to much when actually flying, but even Atobe could not teach him to fly without an actual broomstick.

The morning of tryouts, Taki surprised Atobe and Akutagawa by joining them at breakfast, despite having no reason to be up so early. The Great Hall was nearly empty, with plates of eggs and sausages left untouched, a rare sight compared to the weekday morning scramble for food before class.

Akutagawa was going over Quidditch fouls.

“Blocking is putting yourself in front of the Seeker,” Akutagawa said very precisely, with a lock of great concentration.

“If you put that much effort into class, you might have passed that History of Magic quiz on Wednesday,” Taki said in jest.

Akutagawa kept talking, unaffected, as if he was in his own world, “Snitchnip is when a player that isn’t the Seeker catches the Snitch…”

The mail came with plenty of noise as nearly two dozen owls flew down from the raptures—more would arrive at lunch, when the majority of the castle’s residents were awake and out of bed. Weekends were much slower than weekdays, Atobe found.

Atobe’s snow-white owl swooped down, dropping a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in front of her owner, and sat on the table to peck at the toast on Atobe’s plate. He scratched at the softer feathers underneath the beautiful owl’s chin, earning him a nip at his thumb in appreciation.

“I have a letter for Kabaji,” Atobe said. He produced a letter from the inner pocket of his robes and held it out to the owl. “There’s no rush. Rest in the Owlery if you have to, but try not to eat the food. It's cheap compared to what you're used to at home.”

The owl took a few more bites of his toast before taking the letter in her beak and flying off.

“Who’s Kabaji?” Taki asked.

“Cobbing is excessive elbow use,” Akutagawa muttered.

“An old friend,” Atobe answered shortly.

“And flacking is when a Keeper pushes the Quaffle out of the hoop with their body.”

“Jirou, stop repeating fouls and eat something.” Taki poked Akutagawa’s cheek. “You’ll pass out mid-flight at this rate.”

Akutagawa’s reaction was immediate. He reached for the nearest bowl of grapefruit and dumped half of it onto his plate.

Atobe smiled in amusement and unrolled his copy of the newspaper. Atobe and Taki each received a free subscription of the  _Daily Prophet,_ which was usually a knut a paper. 

The headline article caught Atobe’s attention.

**RIGHTS TO EGYPTIAN TOMB UNDER QUESTION**

Atobe knew the story well. The _Prophet_ had been the first newspaper in the world to report on the issue, which was, until then, a secret between governments. A British curse-breaker under the employment of Gringotts had found a magical tomb in Egypt. The Egyptian Ministry claimed the curse-breaker was stealing Ministry goods, and the debate between Gringotts and Egypt followed. It would be weeks before the issue was resolved.

The amount of gold was minuscule and the tomb had no real significance to the Egyptian Ministry, but the case would be used as reference in future disagreements so the outcome was fairly significant.

“Did you see this?” Taki asked.

Atobe briefly looked at Taki, who was holding his copy of the paper, then continued to read the article.

“Yes, I’m reading it now,” Atobe said.

“Not the front page— _this_.”

Taki slid the paper across the table. Atobe sighed, folding his paper neatly and putting it to the side, and examined the page that had Taki so worked up—the Society Page. It was nothing more than a gossip column.

 **_PROPHET_ ** **OWNER’S SON ARRIVES AT HOGWARTS**

Next to the article was a moving portrait of his family. Atobe remembered the day that particular picture was taken over a year ago at the annual anniversary party of the _Daily Prophet_ ’s first publishing.

His mother had a hand on his shoulder, and another around his father’s waist, and gently said, “Keigo, your mother is a little tipsy; don’t move or she’ll fall.”

Atobe looked up from the newspaper, and saw Taki and Akutagawa crowded next to each other and leaning over the table to look at the photo.

“You don’t really look like your parents, do you?” Taki commented.

“Maybe it’s because the picture’s upside down,” Akutagawa grabbed the newspaper and spun it around so Taki and he could see it properly. “Nope, you still don’t look like them.”

“You are clearly mistaken,” Atobe said.

The other two sat down, but continued to stare at the picture. Taki had begun to look between the moving image and Atobe.

Atobe reopened his own paper to read the headline article. The sound of his paper moving seemed to erase the tension and switch the topic.

“Are you coming to watch tryouts?” Akutagawa asked, looking hopefully at Taki.

“I’m doing the Herbology homework with Mukahi and Shishido in the library,” Taki said, with a bit of a sigh, as if the idea was troublesome. “We’re only a few weeks in and they’re already completely lost on how to care for their Bouncing Bulbs. They’re giving me Chocolate Frogs to help.”

Akutagawa began to drool over his plain toast. “Chocolate Frogs…”

Taki laughed and smiled. “I’ll save a few for you, Jirou.”

“Really? Thanks! I’m collecting the cards now. Shishido talks about it all the time. So I have…”

When Akutagawa began to list the cards that he had collected, Atobe completely tuned them out.

 

* * *

 

Atobe and Akutagawa arrived at the Pitch at the beginning of Gryffindor’s tryouts, which would be followed by Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and finally Slytherin.

There were no first years trying out for the Gryffindor team. In fact, there were barely enough players to form a full team, but each flyer was obviously experienced. Their cuts were sharp, their passes succinct, and their Beaters accurate. Atobe figured many of the people trying out were on last year’s team, which placed second in the Quidditch House Cup (Ravenclaw had won).

Atobe and Akutagawa sat in the stands near several other Ravenclaws. Akutagawa watched the tryouts with a great intensity that surprised Atobe.

Halfway through Gryffindors’ tryouts, a group of Slytherins showed up. They were older students that Atobe did not recognize. As they walked past the group of Ravenclaws, one boy, who had greasy hair and an ugly face, said, “Can’t believe you made Masters captain. You’ll regret that.”

“Just keep walking, Imayoshi.” The boy that spoke had a deep voice, but Atobe did not see who had spoken. Was it Masters?

Imayoshi laughed and walked past with his gang of goons. They sat some ways away, out of earshot, and watched the tryouts.

Atobe looked over at the small group of older Ravenclaws, wondering which one was Captain Masters.

At the tail end of Gryffindors’ tryouts, yet another group of Slytherin students arrived. They were first years—Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi. On the train, Tezuka had mentioned Yukimura and Sanada being good flyers, but Atobe knew nothing about Yanagi. Atobe would judge how good they were with his own eyes.

“Hey, you were right, Atobe!” Akutagawa said as the Hufflepuffs took to the field. “Tezuka’s trying out.”

“I expect nothing less of my rival.”

After flying a few laps around the Pitch, the Hufflepuffs split into two teams. Tezuka was trying out as Chaser.

Tezuka had been training since he last played with Atobe, that much was obvious. Tezuka’s passes were quicker, his cuts were sharper, and his speed was decent, considering the broom he was given. The only thing that hadn’t changed was his leadership. Tezuka was a natural leader, something that always irked Atobe. Despite being a first year, the members on Tezuka’s team looked to him for calls and strategies.

Atobe had no doubt that Tezuka would make the team.

Tezuka’s team was fifty points ahead when things began to change.

The Beaters on Tezuka’s team were leaning closer together, out of sight of the team captain, instead of blocking Bludgers aimed at Tezuka, who was flying down the Pitch with the Quaffle tucked under his arm.

A Bludger was shot towards Tezuka's teammate. One of his team’s Beaters flew in front of the Chaser, but instead of sending the Bludger away, they sent it straight to Tezuka, their own teammate, who did not have time to react.

Tezuka jerked in the sky, looking as though he may fall off the broom. Atobe knew something was wrong when Tezuka dropped the Quaffle.

Tezuka _never_ dropped the Quaffle.

Tezuka curled forward and lost height, slowly drifting towards the grass below. Thankfully he remained on his broom.

Atobe could not see very from his angle, but it looked like Tezuka was clutching his arm, or maybe his elbow.

The team captain loudly scolded the Beater responsible, sent him to do laps around the Pitch, and called an abrupt end to tryouts. Tezuka reached the bottom of the Pitch where several others surrounded him. Two younger boys physically restrained the long-haired girl that tried out for Seeker as she shouted vehemently at the guilty Beater flying around the Pitch.

Soon the Hufflepuffs left the Pitch, heading towards the castle. Tezuka would need a trip to the Hospital Wing.

“Do Bludgers hurt?” Akutagawa asked in a small voice. Atobe had only known Akutagawa for a month or so, but he had never heard Akutagawa sound nervous or hesitant.

“They won’t even come close to you if you have a good set of Beaters to protect you,” Atobe said.

The field remained unoccupied until eleven o’clock when all at once, the Ravenclaws made their way from the stands down to the grassy field.

Atobe walked next to Akutagawa, sizing up the competition. There were nearly enough people trying out to form three full teams. The majority of the students were fourth year or older, all but one of which were male, and there were no first years besides himself and Akutagawa.

Atobe was wondering who was in charge of all of this when a girl’s voice called out, “Get in line, shoulder to shoulder!”

Three people entered the field. In back, walking side-by-side were two boys. One was carrying a large barrel containing broomsticks while the other carried a sealed wooden crate. They must have been identical twins because Atobe could not spot a single difference between the two. They were tall and wide, with bulky arms and square jaws. They looked like they had broken their noses once or twice.

In front of the twins was a short, petite black girl with a fearsome expression. She had her erratically curly, dark blonde hair yanked back into a tight ponytail. She held her shoulders so far back that it looked painful, as if she was consciously trying to assert her dominance. She carried a clipboard and a muggle pen instead of a quill.

But even more interesting was that everyone besides Atobe and Akutagawa followed her order. Atobe quickly concluded that she was the captain.

Atobe had expected an older student, or at least someone with more presence, though the look in her eyes was not all bad, like a graying sky before a violent storm.

Atobe and Akutagawa attached themselves to the end of the line.

The twins dropped what they were carrying behind the captain, who stayed rooted in front of the players, then got into line.

“I’m Olivia Masters. I’m a second year and I play Chaser. If you think I’m too young to be captain, know that I was unanimously voted captain by last year’s team after we won the Quidditch House Cup.” She eyed a few of the players—the twins and the only girl. “Even if you’re a returning player, it does not guarantee you a spot on the team. I won’t be playing favorites.”

So the overly muscular twins and the tall girl were veteran players. Atobe would have to watch out for them. People with experience were far more challenging than the rest of the lot, most of which had probably never played a truly competitive game of Quidditch in their entire lives.

“We’re going to go down the line,” Masters said. “State your name and the position you’re trying out for.”

The two tall, brutish twins spoke with deep, rumbling voices that matched their physique. One of them had called out the rude Slytherin earlier.

“Ryan Blackwood. Beater.”

“The prettier one. Beater.”

A few people in line laughed, but Masters was having none of that.

The second twin cleared his throat. “Morgan Blackwood. Beater.”

No one after Morgan cracked a joke.

The only other girl present, a tall lanky girl with unnaturally long arms and thin fingers, was named Veronica Stevenson. Her voice was annoyingly high and squeaky. She was trying for Seeker.

When Akutagawa’s turn came, his previous fear and uncertainty from seeing Tezuka’s injury disappeared.

“Akutagawa Jirou, but you can just call me Jirou. I’m a first year. I’ve never played before but Chaser sounds cool!”

Masters took longer to write down Akutagawa’s name than she had any other prospective player. She was no doubt making a note that he had never played before.

When it was Atobe’s turn to introduce himself, he stepped forward, meeting Masters’ stormy gray eyes with indifference.

“My name is Atobe Keigo. I can play any position, but I do my best work as Chaser. From this day forward, I will be captain of this team.”

Master’s jaw visibly shifted.

Once she challenged him and he defeated her in front of everyone, no one could question his reign. He would become the undeniable captain.

Masters made a note of him on her clipboard, saying, “Atobe Keigo. Chaser. Arrogant prat. Got it.”

Not exactly the reaction Atobe had been hoping for. He did not budge an inch and kept his expression indifferent, unimpressed. He was not intimidated by her.

“We have enough players to form three full teams if I don’t play," Masters aid. "Take a broomstick from the barrel and pads from the crate. Beaters will be using real Bludgers today so gear up.”

Atobe, the Blackwood twins, and the Stevenson girl put on their gear the fastest. The others were much slower. Akutagawa didn’t seem to have a clue about what to do.

Atobe had not gone over the standard uniform pieces with Akutagawa and felt responsible for the boy’s struggle. He helped Akutagawa, who smiled and thanked him.

Atobe and Akutagawa were placed on different teams. Atobe’s teammates consisted of one of the Blackwood twins as Beater, Veronica Stevenson as Seeker, and four unimpressionable boys filling the remaining spots: Beater, two Chasers, and Keeper.

“With me by your side, we will attain victory,” Atobe said.

“That’s reassuring,” Veronica said earnestly, fiddling with her thumbs nervously. She sounded like a mouse. “I only barely made the team last year…”

Ryan Blackwood slapped her so hard on the back that she actually stumbled forward.

“Have some backbone, Veronica!” he said, smiling. Ryan appeared to be completely unaware that he just knocked the wind out of her. “You’re the same girl that caught the Snitch to get us Quidditch House Cup, aren’t you?”

Though the twin appeared daft at first, Atobe had to commend him. Veronica seemed to breathe a little more evenly after that (once she regained her breath, that is).

They were given old, unkempt Cleansweeps with tattered twigs and crooked handles. Atobe had never ridden on a broom this poor, but he could make do with any broom. He would not be a king if he could not excel under the worst of circumstances. 

All at once, brooms began to rise into the air, the wind whipping around them. Akutagawa seemed to be steadily rising, going too high before coming back down, with an enormous smile on his face.

“I’m flying!” Akutagawa shouted at Atobe, who could not help but smile as well.

He was honestly surprised that Akutagawa managed to get off the ground. The blond had an aptitude for flying that Atobe had not anticipated.

The real challenge began with the first match—Atobe’s team versus Akutagawa’s.

Atobe played well, as expected. Ryan covered him as he shot down the Pitch so quickly that the rest of his team was unable to keep up. Surprisingly, only Akutagawa could match his speed, though he could not come close to stopping Atobe’s shots.

Akutagawa cut sharply and dove deep, unafraid, laughing as he flew around in the air, paying little attention to the match. When he did manage to come into possession the Quaffle, he seemed to be at a loss, unsure of what to do—his first goal was for the opposing team.

Akutagawa was a good flyer—admittedly better than Atobe had been when he first got on a broom—but his inexperience was obvious.

Atobe easily outscored Akutagawa’s team. He had tripled their opponent’s score by the time Veronica caught the snitch, sealing their victory.

Ryan flew up next to Atobe, looking dumbstruck.

“At first, I thought you were an idiot”—Atobe frowned; that was not something he wanted to hear—“but you’re got the skills to be cocky. Man, that was cool!”

Atobe could not have imagined tryouts going any better unless he was standing as captain at that very moment.

Tryouts ended precisely at noon, when Slytherins were to take the field. The Ravenclaws stripped off their protective pads, returned their broomsticks, and formed a loose group near Masters.

“I’ll post the results of tryouts in the common room at five o’clock tonight,” Masters said. “Thank you all for your hard work.”

The players began to leave the Pitch. The Blackwood twins were closing in on Veronica, who looked awfully frightened despite standing as tall as the boys. Atobe could hear her muttering her mistakes, confiding in the boys.

Masters approached Akutagawa.

“Are you a muggle-born?” she asked bluntly.

Atobe stepped in front of Akutagawa and crossed his arms, as if daring the wannabe captain to ask that again.

“And what does that have to do with anything?” Atobe asked.

“Because if he’s a muggle-born, that means that he’s never flown a broom until just now,” Masters said, calm despite Atobe’s presence. “He obviously doesn’t know the rules that well, but rules can be learned. Natural talent on a broomstick may outweigh his lack of knowledge. I need to take everything into consideration.”

Akutagawa, who appeared completely unfazed, popped up to the tips of his toes to look over Atobe’s shoulder.

“I’m a muggle-born,” Akutagawa said cheerfully.

Masters nodded and turned away, writing something on her clipboard. Over her shoulder, she told them, “Clear out of here soon or I won’t be responsible for what the Slytherins do with you.”

Akutagawa bounced in front of Atobe as they walked.

“Are we staying to watch the last tryout?” Akutagawa asked. “You said you wanted to, right?”

That was true. Atobe had all intentions of watching each team’s tryouts, but that was before his sworn rival was injured. Even Atobe was slightly anxious about the events that had transpired. How interesting could Quidditch be without Tezuka battling against him? He had seen the rest of the Hufflepuff players and they were nothing special.

“Change of plans,” Atobe announced. “I will be going to the Hospital Wing. You are welcome to join me.”

“I think I’ll find Taki, Mukahi, and Shishido in the library. I have to tell them how well I did! I did well, didn’t I?”

“Your performance was not all surprising, considering I taught you,” Atobe said, with the faintest of smiles.

 

* * *

 

The Hospital Wing was a surprisingly bright place despite its dreary business—patching up bones from stray Bludgers, putting students back together from failed apparation attempts during lessons, and worse. The room smelled pleasantly of hot chocolate, and pale yellow sunlight came in through large gothic windows, providing both light and warmth. Along the length of the room were rows of freshly made, white-sheeted beds with fluffy feather pillows.

There was currently only one bed occupied. Students surrounded it so Atobe could not make out its occupant, but the students were all Hufflepuffs and had all just recently been at tryouts—either as spectators or participants—so it was not hard to deduce who was in the bed.

Standing near the bed was Kikumaru, Tezuka’s fellow Hufflepuff first year that had not tried out for the team but had been watching from the stands. He was also the one that Mukahi complained about quite a bit, when he wasn’t complaining about Oshitari Yuushi from Slytherin.

A brown girl with long black hair that had tried out as Seeker was sitting on the end of the bed near Tezuka's feet. She had tried to physical assault the Beater responsible for Tezuka’s injury. She was talking loudly about how she where she was going to be aiming her spells during Dueling Club next week.

As Atobe approached the bed, the talking and laughter died down. Atobe continued at his own pace, his hands in his pockets and his chin up, and did not stop until someone had moved aside for him to be next to the bed.

Tezuka’s arm was resting on a high mountain of pillows and was wrapped in bandages, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

“Tezuka,” Atobe said shortly, eyeing his arm for any sign of further damage. The bandages seemed concentrated around his elbow.

“I figured you were at tryouts,” Tezuka said.

“There’s no serious damage, is there, Tezuka?”

“I didn’t make the team, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I meant your arm, actually.”

“It’s nothing serious—not as long as I’m careful.”

“I wish I could say you're a careful man.” Atobe looked at the Quidditch players gathered around the bed. “I hope those barbarians that did this to him were excluded from your final team.”

“Of course,” a tall boy said. “We have enough Beaters to go around.”

“Did you make the Ravenclaw team?” Tezuka asked.

“The captain said she needed to time to think things over.” Atobe sighed and crossed his arms. “Having her as captain will be unbearable. I plan to overthrow her and take over the team myself in due time.”

The long-haired girl smirked, smug and confident, as if Atobe had just challenged her. She had just opened her mouth to say something when the doors to the Hospital Wing burst open.

A wide woman in forest green robes came bustling down the aisle to Tezuka’s bed, carrying a small box of corked vials. She had thick glasses with dark frames to cover her drooping eyes, though she obviously took great care of her hair and makeup. Her necklace was made of large hunks of foggy white quartz crystals.

“Miss Tabitha,” the long-haired girl groaned, looking like she was in pain. “Last time I get hit with a Bludger, she wanted to remove the broken bone and see what happened.”

“More aside, dearies,” Miss Tabitha said in a cheery, wispy voice. “I need to tell Tezuka about his potions and the side effects. Unfortunately, they’re not too exciting so don’t hold your breath! No deadly side effects this time, I’m afraid, though you can develop severe diarrhea if that’s of any condolence.”

Atobe and the Hufflepuffs slowly backed away from the bedside and away from Miss Tabitha. Kikumaru suddenly squeaked, and Atobe realized that Tezuka had grabbed onto his friend’s robes to keep him from running away.

Miss Tabitha set down her box of potions on Tezuka’s bed and began to eagerly explain, “If you mix this red one here with nettle, you’ll go blind for three days. I’ve always wanted to study that, so if you’re interested be sure to let me know. As for the others—“

Atobe cleared his throat. “Glad to see you’re okay, Tezuka. I have important matters to attend to so I will take my leave now.”

“I think I’m going too,” the long-haired girl said in a hurry.

One by one, the Hufflepuffs said they were leaving. When Kikumaru said, “I think I should go too!” Tezuka tightened his grip and Kikumaru made a noise that sounded like a trapped cat.

Atobe hurried out of the Hospital Wing. Anything was better than listening to Miss Tabitha’s list of side effects.

 

* * *

 

Atobe stopped by the Great Hall for a brief lunch before returning to Ravenclaw Tower, where he found over a dozen students from first to third year sitting outside of the entrance to the common room. Masters was among them, curled up in the corner with her clipboard and a thick book called _The_ _Official Quidditch Handbook,_ which she had marked heavily with brightly colored tabs. First years Inui and Yagyuu were also seated, playing a game of Wizard’s Chess to pass the time.

Atobe knocked on the door and the bronze knocker asked, “What is a dragon with no wings?”

“What answers have you tried?” Atobe asked, addressing the entire group.

“We already tried wyvern, drake, and wyrm,” Yagyuu said dryly.

“And snakes,” Inui said.

“We’ve basically ruled out any straightforward answers,” an older student said. “ _Someone_ tried a skeleton but forgot about the dragon skeleton in Professor Reyna’s classroom, the one with the enormous wings.”

There was a small wave of laughter. The student nudged their friend, getting a smile out of them. Unfortunately, their laughter did not open the door to the tower.

Atobe could not lose face here, even if there were only a handful of people to see. He did not deserve to call himself the king of Ravenclaw if he was trapped outside of the tower every time a tough riddle came up.

He needed to solve this riddle.

He decided to rethink the question.

“What is a wizard without a wand?” he mused.

“A wizard,” someone replied.

“Exactly,” Atobe said, smirking as he turned back towards the door. “A dragon without wings is still a dragon, just as a wizard without a wand is still a wizard, or a human without a sense or limb is still a human.”

The eagle knocker snapped its beak shut with a click and Atobe grinned in victory. Hidden gears began to turn in the walls and the door slowly opened inward.

Atobe strut through the door, the group following behind him, some clapping him on the back or shoulder and thanking him. Meanwhile, Masters remained in the hallway, completely focused on what she was doing. She was probably picking her teammates.

As he climbed the spiraling stairs to the top of the tower, Atobe briefly wondered if Akutagawa would make the team. He did not linger on the thought.

Atobe unlocked the door to the room, closing it behind him, and lounged on his bed. Something had been on his mind for over a week now, ever since he saw the tryout announcements.

Why were first years allowed to tryout? From what he saw today, every house allowed first years to tryout. Atobe had heard the rumor that first years would be allowed to tryout before coming to school, but he had yet to detect the source of the change. It certainly was not because of a lack of players.

He thought about the issue for a little longer before reaching over to his nightstand and picking up a new novel, _Circe’s Conquest: Fact and Myth_. It was a vivid nonfiction book retracting Circe’s steps as she brought havoc across the Mediterranean. She commanded a small army of witches with great charisma, a necessary quality for a modern ruler.

Several hours later, the door to the room swung open. Akutagawa ran inside, jumped onto Atobe’s bed, and said, “It’s five. We need to check the bulletin board.”

Atobe sighed as he marked his page in the book. “You realize you could have gone without me,” he said.

“But it’s more fun this way!”

Taki appeared in the doorway, breathing heavily.

“Jirou—ran—up—all those—steps,” Taki panted. “I think I’m dying.”

Atobe chuckled. “We’ll have to go up them for the next seven years.”

Taki stumbled towards his bed, falling face first. His voice was muffled, but still audible, “Go on without me.”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Atobe said. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“Leave the door open. If I hear Jirou scream, I’ll know he made the team.”

“And what about dinner?” Atobe questioned. "You have to eat, you know."

“Merlin’s pants,” Taki groaned. He forced himself back up and over to the door.

The three headed down to the common room, where there was a small crowd by the bulletin board. Everyone crowded nearby had been at tryouts. Veronica Stevenson clasped her hands together and gasped before moving away, smiling. A second later, three boys walked away with their heads down, dejected.

Atobe scanned the common room. He spotted Masters higher up on one of the lofts, watching the scene unfold with a mixed expression.

Atobe and Akutagawa approached the bulletin board. The results were posted on blue paper and were written in bronze ink. Masters’ handwriting was far from elegant, with uneven letters and lines running crooked.

 _**Chasers** _  
_Olivia Masters, second year_  
_Atobe Keigo, first year_  
_Akutagawa Jirou, first year_

 _**Beaters** _  
_Ryan Blackwood, sixth year_  
_Morgan Blackwood, sixth year_

 _ **Keeper** _  
_Joseph Kim, fifth year_

_**Seeker**  
Veronica Stevenson, fourth year_

_To those that did not make the team, thank you for participating. In the event of a player’s serious injury, you will be the first ones considered. I hope you continue to support this year’s Quidditch team._

Atobe was not surprised to see his own name. There was a bit of shock at seeing Akutagawa’s. Masters must have decided that Akutagawa’s outstanding natural flying ability outweighed his lack of experience.

Atobe had seen the Blackwood twins play. They were good. Atobe would be surprised if other houses had enough brute strength to compete with one of them, let alone two.

Veronica was significantly taller than the usual seeker, but she had long limbs and nimble fingers. If she had played on last year’s team, she had the experience that others lacked. She was the only real choice.

Masters was the only one whose skill he could not account for. If she was unanimously made captain by last year’s team, which included the likes of the Blackwood twins and Veronica, then surely she had some skill, or perhaps she was particularly gifted at blackmail.

Either way, Atobe would overthrow her to take his rightful place as captain by the end of the year.

Akutagawa was jumping up and down by the time Atobe had read through the list. His face was flushed red with excitement and his eyes glistened with childish joy that made even Atobe smile.

“Atobe, I made the team, I made the team!”

“ _We_ made the team,” Atobe corrected smugly.

“WE MADE THE TEAM!”

Atobe frowned, wondering why Akutagawa felt the need to shout directly into people’s ears.

“Congratulations,” Taki said. “Can we go get food now?”

“Yes, let’s celebrate!” Akutagawa said. “Mukahi said he’d give me ten Chocolate Frogs if I made the team.”

“And Shishido promised you Jelly Slugs,” Taki added.

Akutagawa smiled so wide it looked like it hurt. His energy appeared to be infectious because despite the ringing in his head, Atobe could not help but smile too.


	4. Lessons

They had been at school for a month now and classes were in full swing.

Many students disliked Shishido’s favorite class, History of Magic, but Shishido liked the violence that lurked in the magical world’s past, and he enjoyed the scandals of the high-class pure-bloods like Atobe. He also enjoyed their professor and his witty, dry, _dead_ sense of humor. Professor Binns was a ghost, which only made Shishido like the class more.

When they began to learn about ghosts in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington—or as the students called him, Nearly Headless Nick—made a guest appearance. The Gryffindor house ghost came in through the wall and then pulled his head to the side, causing a mixture of screams and gasps. Shishido and the other Gryffindor boys grinned, already used to that trick, and took joy in watching the girls and Slytherins squirm at the sight.

Then there was Astronomy, which was difficult to stay awake during. Luckily, Mukahi was surprisingly skilled at the subject.

“I’ll let you copy my notes in exchange for some of your chocolate frog cards,” Mukahi said, grinning, and Shishido wondered why the redhead was not in Slytherin. “You have a few I’m missing.”

“Yeah, okay,” Shishido agreed, only because his Astronomy grade was horrible. He needed to ask Taki to give him some of that potion the Ravenclaws make to help them stay away, or Mukahi was going to have his entire collecting of cards by the end of the year.

Potions was taught by the substitute headmaster, Professor Kurobe, and was an absolute disaster. Shishido made the poor decision of being partners with Mukahi. Neither of knew the first thing about potion making, and they could never get their potions to turn the right color, or remember what their homework was. Taki told them they were doing better than Chitose, who nearly singed off his eyebrows again last week in the Ravenclaw-Slytherin section.

One of their more interactive classes was Herbology. The only good thing about Herbology was being partnered with Taki, who was very good at the subject. Taki’s drawings of the plants were better than the ones in the textbook, which moved and were hard to follow, and despite his well-kept appearance, the Ravenclaw did not mind getting dirt under his nails during hands-on lessons as long as he could spend a good five minutes after class washing it away.

The worst thing about Herbology was also being partnered with Atobe, who irritated Shishido to no end. Atobe was good at the subject, or at least better than Shishido, though the self-proclaimed king was nowhere near Taki’s level. To make things worse, Atobe had become even more unbearable since joining the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Shishido could barely stand his presence anymore, which made working together hard.

The three of them stood at their table in Greenhouse One while Professor Vega told them what they would be doing. Shishido struggled to focus on the professor’s voice instead of his beard. Every few days, Professor Vega had some different type of plant tangled in his long white beard. Today, it was red petals and bits of some type of green vine.

“As I hope you know, we’ve spent the last week in lecture learning about Lashing Lilies,” the old man said. “Who wants to briefly explain what you’ve learned? Ah, Mister Taki?”

“Lashing Lilies look like normal muggle lilies, but once they’re pulled out of the ground, Lashing Lilies’ white roots will lash out and wrap around whatever is near it. It’s dangerous to pets and small children.”

“Excellent,” Professor Vega said. “Though you forgot to mention the white roots harm not only children and animals, but also your garden. The roots will bind to other plants in your garden and break their stems, quite a horrible thing. Nonetheless, five points to Ravenclaw.”

Shishido nudged Taki with his elbow, grinning, and saw Taki smile proudly.

“To control Lashing Lilies, you merely have to cut off the white roots Mister Taki mentioned and the plant will become harmless as muggle lilies.

“Today, you will be doing just that. Each group has several pair of shears and three pots containing a Lashing Lily. One at a time, I want each group member to de-root a plant. Remember, only remove the white roots or the plant will die. Work quickly or you’ll be subjected to the Lashing Lilies’ roots, which, if they come in contact with your skin, will result in a horrendous burning sensation and uncontrollable itching.

“Put on your gloves and get to work. Help each other when you can.”

Lashing Lilies had bright red petals and smelled sweet like fruit punch. They reminded Shishido of the lilies his muggle mother kept in her garden. He wondered if his mother accidentally grew Lashing Lilies without noticing—he hoped his dog didn’t get into the garden while he was gone.

Taki went first since he was the best from their group at Herbology. Shishido watched carefully as Taki gently removed the plant from its pot, shaking the loose soil off the roots and back into the pot. Mixed amongst the normal, dark-colored roots were stark white roots. Taki carefully trimmed off the white roots, leaving the dark roots alone, and replanted the lilies.

Shishido decided to go next. He took his plant out of its pot, shaking the dirt until he could see all of the roots, but he was so rough that some of the petals came off and the stem broke in a few places. The white roots wiggled like they could feel the disturbance.

“You made it look so easy, Taki,” Shishido said, as he cut off a few dark roots along with the white one. “How did you get the tiny white ones without getting all the dark ones?”

“Be precise,” Taki said. “Don’t just snap away without thinking.”

Shishido shifted his hold on the plant to get a better view of the roots.

Without him noticing, the thin white roots twisted around his exposed wrist like tiny snakes and crawled up his arm underneath his robes. The roots seemed to grow and grow, until they stopped at his elbow, but he did not notice their presence until they began to tighten around him.

“Stupid plant!” Shishido muttered harshly. He tore at the roots around his arm until they broke, but they did not detach from his skin, which began to feel hot like sunburn and a million mosquito bites. “Bloody hell—“

“I think you, too, would be rather upset if you were suddenly removed from your home and source of nourishment,” Professor Vega said, walking over. He took the plant from Shishido’s hand and set it back into the pot. “You cannot blame any creature for trying to survive, not even a plant.”

The professor was not wearing gloves.

“Professor, isn’t it bad to leave your hands exposed?” Taki asked.

Professor Vega merely smiled, his many wrinkles pressing together until it was hard to distinguish his features. He looked like an old tree trunk.

“After working with plants for so long, my skin is as tough as bark!”

Atobe gave the professor a curious look, like he was thinking of something, but the intense, constant itching on his arm kept Shishido’s full attention.

His arm felt like it was on fire, like ants were crawling along his skin, like his arm had fallen asleep and was prickling as the blood rushed back. It felt like all of those things, only ten times more intense. He debated grabbing the sheers and cutting his arm off if it meant the itching would stop.

Professor Vega carefully plucked the white roots from Shishido’s arm, dropping them into the waste bucket. When the last root was plucked off, Shishido began to scratch. He dug his nails along his arm with all of his strength to stop the itching, which caused his skin to break and small drops of blood to form.

Professor Vega caught Shishido by the wrist with a disapproving frown and said, “No, no, Mister Shishido. Itching will only make it worse.”

Shishido didn’t know how it could feel any worse.

“You’ll have to visit Miss Tabitha in the Hospital Wing. Mister Atobe, Mister Taki, please accompany Mister Shishido and keep him from scratching his arm. People have been known to tear off their skin after being exposed to Lashing Lilies.”

Shishido rolled up the sleeve of his robes as Taki and Atobe gathered their things. Taki was nice enough to pack Shishido’s things and carry his bag, while Atobe didn’t even lift a finger to help.

“Prat,” Shishido muttered.

“What was that, Mister Shishido?” Professor Vega asked.

“Nothing, Professor.”

Shishido, Taki, and Atobe left the greenhouse and began to make their way to the castle. Atobe walked briskly in front of them, leaving Taki to stop Shishido from scratching his arm. Taki smiled apologetically every time he slapped at Shishido’s arm or grabbed his wrist.

Shishido was thankful Taki was there to stop him because otherwise, he might have torn off his skin like Professor Vega said. It was worse than anything he had ever felt.

Atobe confidently led them to the Hospital Wing, like he already knew the entire castle after only being here a month. He walked through the large, open doorway and stopped. Shishido and Taki peered around Atobe to see what was going on.

On the far end of the long room, there was an older student lying on a bed. There was also a large woman with glasses and a chunky quartz necklace fussing over the person on the bed.

“Just a moment, dearies,” the woman, presumably Miss Tabitha, said as she spotted them out of the corner of her eyes. “Have the victim take a seat on a bed. I’ll be with you shortly.”

“Victim?” Shishido said.  

“I think she means you,” Atobe said with an annoying smirk.

Shishido was too annoyed at the horrible feeling on his arm to be annoyed with Atobe too. He sat on the nearby bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. Taki sat at the end of the bed while Atobe stood nearby.

“I think I have some Chocolate Frogs,” Taki said, digging through his bag. “Ah, yes! Here you go, Shishido.”

“Thanks, mate.”

In the distance, the bell chimed, indicating that classes were shifting. Shishido had Defense Against the Dark Arts with Slytherins next.

“You can go,” Shishido said, looking at Taki and then glaring at Atobe. "You have class, don't you?"

“Professor Vega ordered me to stay and watch over you,” Atobe said, crossing his arms.

“I have Taki.”

“There’s no use fighting with him,” Taki said. “He’s stubborn.”

Shishido and Taki opened up their Chocolate Frogs. Shishido was not surprised when someone as nice as Taki offered a frog to Atobe, but he was quite surprised when Atobe accepted and began to nibble on the candy.

It took nearly half an hour for Miss Tabitha to come over to them. Her heels clicked against the cobblestone floor as she walked. She was carrying a small wooden chest, which she set on the bedside table. Inside the chest were various potion bottles along with basic bandages and salves. There were even a few roots, dirt and all, along with jars of leaves.

“Sorry for the wait, but that boy glued himself to his cauldron during Potions and yanked it off by force! The lucky boy will need to re-grow a fair amount of skin. Sadly, there will be no scars.”

She sounded so happy, so cheerful about it.

This woman was absolutely bonkers. Shishido looked at Taki in panic.

“Now, it appears that you”—Miss Tabitha grabbed Shishido by the wrist—“have been exposed to the roots of Lashing Lilies. You feel a burning, itching sensation, don’t you?”

Shishido cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. Professor Vega sent me over, and he told these guys to keep me from scratching at it.”

“How bad is it? Does it make you want to scratch your skin off? I've heard of cases where it’s happened but I’ve never seen one myself, such a shame.”

“Can you help him?” Atobe asked, before Shishido could answer.  

“Of course!” Miss Tabitha said. She rummaged through her chest, pulling out a roll of thick white bandages and a tin container. She handed them to Shishido. “Apply a dollop of ointment twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Wrap them in bandages. If you run out of bandages or ointment, or the itching becomes worse, come see me.”

“That’s all?” Shishido asked hesitantly. He was sure this woman wanted to chop off his arm to study it, or take off his skin, or something like that.

Miss Tabitha frowned. “That’s it, unfortunately. I would begin applying the ointment now.”

“You had all this ready?” Taki asked.

“The professors tell me what they will be teaching throughout the week so I can prepare anything I need in case things go wrong. Professor Saitou has begun human transfiguration with his NEWT students, so I am expecting at least one or two to show up with a tail… Now, dearie, put on the ointment; it’ll stop your itching. Then I can show you how to wrap your arm properly if you'd like."

Shishido nodded. He took off the top of the tin and was instantly assaulted by the pungent smell of something decaying, something rotten. The smell made his eyes water and stomach bubble.

It smelled worse than wet worms after a rainstorm, or the Potions room after Oshitari Kenya spilled his Flobberworm Mucus all over Shishido’s robes, and even worse than his roommate’s dirty socks.

Shishido nearly vomited. He tossed the tin towards Taki, who gagged and covered his mouth.

“Merlin, that’s terrible,” Taki said. He quickly grabbed the top of the tin and closed it.

Atobe pinched his nose.

“Yes, it’s quite foul,” Miss Tabitha said with a smile. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

This woman was _mad_ , but at least his itching would stop. Shishido held his breath, unscrewed the tin, and hoped the bandages and his robes would cover the awful stench of the ointment.

 

* * *

 

By the end of the week, the itching had completely stopped and the marks from the roots were healed. His roommate Marui finally stopped making jokes about how bad he smelled all the time, and Shishido would no longer have to wear those uncomfortably heavy bandages.

Shishido dragged Mukahi with him when he stopped by the Hospital Wing before flying lessons to return the tin of ointment. Miss Tabitha was nowhere to be seen so he left it on a chair near her desk and booked it out of there before she returned.

Mukahi laughed at him. “You’re afraid of the healer? Aren’t you in Gryffindor?”

Shishido shoved him and told him to shut up. “She was crazy. You’d be scared of her too.”

When Shishido and Mukahi arrived at the Quidditch Pitch, they found first years from their houses standing in one large group at the edge of the grassy field. On the field there were rows of old brooms for the first years to use.

Up in the sky was the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Their morning practice was still in session.

“I wondered which one is Jirou,” Mukahi said. “He says their practices are really intense and Atobe wants to overthrow the captain. He says it’s fun.”

Each player was fast, moving with sharp, precise turns and accelerating dives. The Beaters hit the Bludger with enough force for Shishido to hear the moment of contact from the ground.

“I heard they won the Quidditch House Cup last year,” Mukahi said.

“No, Gryffindor won the House Cup,” Shishido said.

“The Quidditch Cup is different,” Mukahi said. “The House Cup is based on points awarded in classes. The Quidditch House Cup is based on who wins the most matches and the most points in games by the end of the season.”

“Oh. But do you get points for winning the Quidditch House Cup?”

“I think you get a hundred.”

“That’s a lot!”

“That’s why the heads of house take Quidditch so seriously. All the older students say Ravenclaw’s Quidditch team won last year because this amazing first year joined, but I guess they’re a second year now. Apparently they were so good that now all first years are allowed to try out.”

Shishido wondered if that was true. It seemed unlikely, but it was true that first years were allowed to try out for every team this year.

Two of Shishido’s roommates, Marui and Jackal, spotted Shishido and walked over. Marui was a short red head with a baby’s face while Jackal was tall with sharp features like some of the older students.

Marui blew a large red bubble that turned blue by the time he pulled it back into his mouth. Shishido had seen him choke on his bubble gum six times since they met.

“How are you guys feeling?” Marui asked. “Ready to fly?”

“I’ve never flown,” Shishido admitted.

“Me neither,” Jackal said, looking relieved that someone was in the same boat as him. Shishido remembered that Jackal was a muggle-born.

“I’m sure I’ll be great,” Marui said. Shishido rolled his eyes. Marui went on, without pause, “I bet I’m a flying genius. Maybe I’ll even join the Quidditch team next year. I could play against Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi.”

“They’re in Slytherin with Oshitari, right?” Mukahi asked. 

“Oshitari Yuusih, yeah. Kenya’s in my house,” Marui said.

The Ravenclaw players descended from the sky and began to pass by to the locker rooms underneath the stands.

“Sorry for making you wait!” a blonde girl said. She was as tall as a seventh year boy, taller than any girl Shishido had ever seen, yet she looked very awkward and anxious with her shoulders hunched and her skinny fingers shifting restlessly.

A pair of beefy identical twin boys walked alongside the girl. The three stood at the same impressive height.

“Good luck,” one twin said.

“Don’t fly into the goalposts,” his brother added.

“Don’t tease them!” the tall blonde girl said. “What if you give them the wrong idea? It’s scary to fly for the first time. It’s still scary…”

Atobe and Akutagawa followed behind the tall trio. Akutagawa waved as he passed them and then returned to his conversation with Atobe, which Shishido could not hear. Atobe’s broom was dark and sleek, one of the newest models that even professional players would feel proud flying on.

The two remaining players of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a very intense-looking girl and unassuming boy, were carrying the chest of Quidditch balls at the back of the group.

As the Ravenclaw team left, Professor Ryuzaki swooped in on her broom, landing in the middle of the grassy Pitch.

“Let’s get started! I want everyone to stand next to a broom. Doesn’t matter which one, they’re all the same.”

Marui eagerly dragged Jackal over to a pair of brooms. Mukahi and Shishido grinned as they jogged over, picking brooms next to one another. Shishido made sure his ponytail was tight while he waited for everyone else to get in place.

“If you don’t remember, my name is Professor Ryuzaki, head of Gryffindor.” She looked proudly at some of the Gryffindor students near her. On their first night at Hogwarts, the prefects told them there was no one with as much house pride as Professor Ryuzaki. “Today, I will be your flying instructor.”

Shishido and Mukahi grinned at each other.

“First, stick your hand over your broom and say ‘up!’”

“Up!” everyone shouted.

Shishido’s broom shook on the ground, only reaching his hand when he shouted once more, “UP!”

Mukahi’s shouted very loudly in frustration when his broom did not come up on the third try. His solution was to shout louder and louder until eventually his broom jumped into his hand.

Down the line, Marui’s broom had shot up on the first try and he looked rather pleased with himself, while Jackal’s broom merely rolled against the grass.

Professor Ryuzaki then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, walking up and down the rows to help students with their grips. She got to Shishido and smiled, announcing that his grip was perfect.

“On three,” Professor Ryuzaki said in a loud, booming voice, “I want you to push off the group. Hover in the air for a few seconds then tap your feet back onto the ground. One, two—oh, for Merlin’s sake, I said on three!”

Down the line, a Hufflepuff girl named Amy Holmes was already floating in the air, though it looked like an accident.

“Three,” Professor Ryuzaki said.

Shishido pushed off the ground, the air rushing around him. He was hovering only two feet off the ground, and he was not quite sure what to do with his legs, but he was flying.

He looked over at Mukahi, who was a foot higher than him.

Shishido tilted his broom up and rose. Mukahi noticed and, meeting Shishido’s eyes, did the same.

“Bet I can get higher,” Shishido said childishly.

“Two galleons says I can,” Mukahi said.

Shishido grinned and brought his broom higher.

Down the line, Professor Ryuzaki was helping students hover without falling off their brooms. She had her back to them and no one was saying anything as Shishido and Mukahi rose higher and higher into the sky, until soon they were as high as the Ravenclaw players had been.

Shishido laughed, elated at the feeling of wind against his face.

Mukahi began to move forwards, flying, and circled back into place. Shishido mimicked him, making a wider circle, which Mukahi challenged with an even larger radius and vertical loop.

Shishido knew he would be sick if he tried that, so he flew more sharply, and dove down then back up. He would be damned if he lost to Mukahi.

People on the ground had begun to whisper and laugh. Shishido looked down and saw that Professor Ryuzaki was no longer helping other students. She was pointing at them with a stern expression and then pointing at the ground, silently demanding that they come down.

Shishido and Mukahi returned to the ground. The other students clapped in applause, but Professor Ryuzaki was far from happy.

“Five points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff,” Professor Ryuzaki said, “and detention for both of you. Now get back in line before you cause even more trouble.”

Even though he had just lost his house points and earned detention, Shishido could only smile as Mukahi and he returned to their spots in line.


	5. Victory

Halfway through October, when the grass began to dry and brown, and the winds began to carry the scent of apples and a slight yet pleasant chill that shook the colorful leaves from the trees, Quidditch season officially began. Practices became longer and more intense. It was nothing Atobe could not handle, but Akutagawa was beginning to look more tired than usual. He hardly slept in class anymore, and tossed all night in his bed. Practice was taking its toll on the once-hyper muggle-born.

The school was in a frenzy over the highly anticipated first match of the season—Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were openly cheering for Ravenclaw’s victory. Hufflepuffs sported bronze and blue buttons, while most Gryffindors took to booing the Slytherin team whenever they entered the Great Hall after practice. Atobe was not surprised to see Shishido and Mukahi joining in on the childish booing, though they only did it to Oshitari Yuushi, who was not even a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team.

Nearly everyone in the entire school seemed to believe that Ravenclaw would win the match on Saturday—everyone except for the Slytherins and Ravenclaw’s Quidditch Captain, Olivia Masters.

“All three of their Chasers are first years,” Masters said. Their last practice before the match had just ended and the team was making their way back to the castle for dinner. “We can’t underestimate them. If we do, we may lose.”

“It’ll be fine, Olivia,” Morgan Blackwood said. “You have us to block any Bludgers that come your way.”

“Yeah, and we have two first years of our own,” Ryan Blackwood said. “Slytherin has the same disadvantage as us.”

Akutagawa yawned.

“Are you sleeping okay, Jirou?” Veronica Stevenson asked. “I have some tea that may help, but if you don’t want any, you can say no and not feel bad!”

Akutagawa yawned again, slouching as he walked. “’m fine.”

When they arrived at the Great Hall, most of the students were already there for dinner, filling their plates with shepherd’s pie and green beans and talking excitedly. Pumpkin and apple juice from Hogsmeade were now served with every meal, and Atobe thought he might be ill if he had to drink another delicious cup.

Taki was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, surrounded by a large group of students, most of which were older. There were a few Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs amongst the sea of Ravenclaws. Taki’s smile was bright and broad.

“What’s going on?” Veronica asked as they approached.

There was a flurry of responses, some directed at the Quidditch team, others at Taki:

“Look at what this kid did!”

“What spell did you use?”

“Are you doing commissions?”

“Olivia, do you like it?”

On the table was a large blue banner with a shimmering bronze eagle that flapped its wings and opened its beak. The eagle was intricate, each feather ruffled and each eye perfect. The painted looked as though it was actually alive when it moved, and Atobe briefly wondered if it would fly off the paper.

“That’s _awesome_!” Akutagawa practically shouted.

“Taki,” Atobe said, “you did this?”

Taki nodded, looking rather proud.

“When did you learn how to enchant drawings?” Atobe asked, curious and mildly impressed. Art charms were quite difficult, as only the skilled and truly creative could master them.

“I’ve been working on it while you and Jirou are at practice,” Taki said. “At first it was to make my Charms notes look nicer—I have drawings of each wand motion that I wanted to make move—then I decided to paint this for your match. Two-dimensional movement is pretty simple, apparently.”

Then the table suddenly grew quite. Atobe looked around to see what had happened.

Professor Sakaki, the head of Ravenclaw house, had entered the Great Hall and was approaching the students’ table. He clasped his hands behind his back as he walked, his indigo robes shimmering as approached. The small crowd spread to give their head of house a better view of the banner.

“Who drew this?” Professor Sakaki asked, his voice deep and rich. Taki hesitantly raised his hand. “Come to my office when you have the chance, Taki. It’s behind the eagle at the bottom of the Ravenclaw tower. I have a book on magical art that may interest you.”

“Yes, sir,” Taki said, eyes wide at the unexpected invitation. “Wait. How do you know my name?”

Professor Sakaki left without answering, heading towards the main staff table, where Professor Saitou, the head of Slytherin, was waiting with a thin-lipped smile. Even the heads of house had not escaped the rivalary between their Quidditch teams.

Everyone seemed to be even more impressed with Taki now that he had Professor Sakaki’s approval.

“You know, there’s a group of us that gets together the week before a match and makes posters like this,” an older girl said. “You should come! We get sweets from the kitchens and trade spells. We’d _love_ to have you.”

“Okay,” Taki said, still looking rather surprised from Professor Sakaki’s invitation.

Older students sat down and began to talk to Taki about meeting times. Atobe and Akutagawa sat down nearby with their teammates, who were thoroughly impressed by the support from their housemates.

 

* * *

 

That Saturday, when the Ravenclaw team entered the Pitch, the crowd roared to life. Blue and bronze banners covered nearly covered the entirety of the stands. Taki’s banner had been enlarged by an older student and now covered a larger portion of the Ravenclaw’s stands. Atobe smirked with pride at the sight.

“It’s so loud!” Akutagawa said in delight, twisting his head from side to side before yawning into his hand. He wore blue robes like the rest of the team.

The Slytherin team, dressed in green, joined them on the field moments later. Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi lagged behind their older teammates and were the last to come out onto the Pitch.

Professor Ryuzaki stood in the middle of the Pitch, waiting for the two teams to approach her. She would be referring the match.

“Let’s get through the game without any fouls,” Professor Ryuzaki said. She looked sharply at the Slytherins. “Captains, step forward and shake hands.”

A tall, skinny boy who looked like he could use a shower stepped forward. The Slytherin captain was a sixth year named Imayoshi. The Blackwood twins talked quite a bit about him at their last practice but said nothing pleasant about the boy.

“Let’s have a good game today, Masters,” Imayoshi said.

Atobe watched his captain, who stuck out her hand and said, “Just don’t try to fly us into the ground like you did last year.”

Stevenson shifted anxiously next to Atobe. Perhaps the schools hatred of Slytherin’s Quidditch team was justified.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Imayoshi replied with a smile, refusing to shake Master’s hand.

“That’s enough,” Professor Ryuzaki said. “Mount your brooms.”

Atobe and his teammates mounted their brooms. Professor Ryuzaki blasted her silver whistle, and they flew up high into the air.

“Atobe, you get the first toss,” Masters said. Atobe smirked. Masters tightened her jaw. Annoyed, she added, “And don’t get cocky out there.”

Atobe’s eyes followed the Quaffle as it was tossed up. No one else could move until a Chaser had possession of the red ball.

Atobe flew forward at top speed, grabbing the Quaffle, smirking at Sanada, who was just a second too slow.

Professor Watanabe, their Charms professor, was commenting the match: “The Quaffle goes to Atobe Keigo, one of two first years on the Ravenclaw team this year—“

While he wanted to steal the show, to show the entire school that he was the rightful captain of the Ravenclaw team, he knew better than to risk it now. Slytherin had three first years Chasers, one of which Tezuka spoke very highly of. Atobe did not want to lose respect during his first match.

Atobe looked to the side and saw Masters was unmarked.

“—he passes to second year Chaser and Captain Masters, the very reason first years are now allowed to tryout for house teams—“

That was news to Atobe, who did not have time to think about what that meant.

He sped down the Pitch after Masters. The Blackwood twins Ryan and Morgan flew in to flank them to defend any attacks from Slytherin’s Beaters, but the Slytherin’s Beaters were faster.

A Bludger barreled towards Masters. She dove sharply.

“—she barely misses a Bludger, nice diving!”

Atobe had never truly seen Masters fly. During practice, she was more concentrated on the rest of them. Now, in the spotlight, he watched.

Well, he tried. She was fast, faster than he expected, maybe even faster than himself.

“And Masters is at the goal—she makes the toss but Slytherin Keeper and Captain Imayoshi blocks the goal—the Quaffle goes to Yukimura, another one of the famous first years that made the house team—he’s making quick time—already on the other side of the Pitch—a dive to the third goalpost—the Ravenclaw Keeper didn’t see that coming—and he scores. The first points of the season go to Slytherin!”

Atobe swept in, grabbing the Quaffle, and turning around towards the other end of the Pitch. Masters flew along side him.

“That first year is fast,” Masters said.

“Then we just need to be faster,” Atobe replied, diving down to pick up speed.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Sanada approaching.

Sanada was in a sharper dive—he would catch up in a second—and Sanada was bigger than him. If push came to shove, as it often did in Quidditch, Sanada would win.

Atobe made a quick decision. He passed to Akutagawa, who didn’t catch the Quaffle. Aktuagawa didn’t even make a move to catch it.

Something was wrong.

Atobe looked over and saw that Akutagawa was asleep.

“The Quaffle is sent to Atobe—Sanada is gaining—a strategic pass to Akutagawa. Is he asleep? I think he is—the pass fails, the Quaffle is falling and Yukimura intercepts the Quaffle for Slytherin!”

“Morgan, wake him up!” Masters ordered.

Atobe did not have time to shout. He spun around quickly with a sharp turn, his head spinning from the sudden change, and pushed forward towards the retreating Slytherins.

“He saw Akutagawa was asleep and took a chance—follows with a pass to Yanagi—Atobe is pursuing for Ravenclaw—Ravenclaw has hit a Bludger at their own teammate to wake him up—Quaffle back to Yukimura, he’s flying down the Pitch, look at that speed!”

The ball was passed, then again, and once more with increasing speed, until Atobe was hardly able to read who would receive the next pass. He decided to pick one person to mark so Masters could intercept a pass between the remaining two Chasers.

He picked Sanada.

“Atobe is gaining on Sanada—Akutagawa is awake and disoriented—Atobe is alongside Sanada, he’s marked—Sanada tries to shake him but isn’t having much luck from the looks of it—“

Slytherin’s Beaters weren’t nearly as good as the Blackwood brothers, but they were good enough at keeping Masters from approaching Yukimura and Yanagi. Atobe, not matter how great, could not mark three people at once.

“Slytherin scores again! The score is twenty-zero.”

Atobe caught the Quaffle, speeding down the Pitch, Sanada behind him. Sanada was as good as Tezuka said, though not nearly as good as Atobe.

Akutagawa lifted his hand, signaling he was unmarked.

“Atobe to Akutagawa, who’s back in commission—no, Akutagawa missed! Not as awake as he seems, but Ravenclaw Captain Masters saves the Quaffle—Masters on her way to the goals, she’s quick for such a short girl, she’d make a good Seeker—ohh, has the Snitch been spotted already?”

Atobe followed Masters down the Pitch, Sanada still on his twigs. Yukimura pulled up alongside Masters, who tossed to score, but Yukimura’s arm stretched out—

“Ravenclaw Seeker Stevenson is diving down, faster than an eagle, reaching out—yes, yes, she’s seen it—OUCH—a Bludger out of nowhere, Stevenson stumbles and—when did Yukimura get a hold of the Quaffle?”

Sanada cut and turned. He raised his arm to signal Yukimura.

Atobe refused to lose in a match of speed. He flew up alongside Sanada, passing him just to prove he could, and smirked as Sanada retracted his arm.

Atobe pursued, following Yukimura and Yangai, who were passing back and forth, and accelerated to intercept. But Yukimura was smart and kept the ball close to his chest.

“Yukimura cuts left at the goalposts and scores! Thirty-zero for Slytherin.”

Masters turned to begin back down the Pitch, leaving the receive to Atobe.

A Bludger flew by Atobe’s foot when he dove in to catch the Quaffle. One of the twins flew in under him, sending it right back to the Slytherin Beater with twice the speed.

“The Keeper sends the Quaffle out to Atobe again—the Ravenclaw team has a lot of trust in that first year and I can see why, he’s a prodigy just like Masters—Atobe flying down the Pitch, already at the goals—Ravenclaw scores!”

Atobe smirked as he flew by Sanada. The game had only just begun.

Akutagawa was finally awake, but Atobe did not pass to him. He already tried that today and the pass failed. Slytherin was ahead. They couldn’t risk it.

Masters seemed to be thinking the same, passing to Atobe but not to Akutagawa, who served as a good decoy. Akutagawa even marked Yanagi well, which limited the Slytherin Chasers’ passing routes.

The scorer was ninety-fifty with Slytherin in the lead when Atobe saw Stevenson diving straight towards the ground. For someone who seemed afraid of her own shadow, Atobe was impressed with her lack of hesitation as she barreled downwards without any indication of stopping or slowing down.

“—Ravenclaw’s Seeker—straight down the field in a dive—Slytherin Seeker is right behind—it’s down to speed—Ravenclaw is reaching out—Slytherin right there—has she done it? Yes, she has!”

Stevenson pulled up from her dive, mere feet away from the grass, with her hand hoisted high into the air. She held the Golden Snitch.

“Ravenclaw’s Stevenson has caught the Snitch! One hundred and fifty points are awarded to Ravencaw. Ravenclaw wins!”

Blue and bronze confetti showered down from the stands, which were loud with bird caws and more human shouts.

They landed on the Pitch, the Slytherins glaring as the Ravenclaws gathered together in victory.

Ryan and Morgan hoisted Stevenson up onto their shoulders and paraded her around; she kept the Snitch raised. Akutagawa was yawning as he talked to their Keeper, and Masters was actually smiling. Imayoshi refused to shake Masters’ hand, even at Professor Ryuzaki’s request.

Sanada awkwardly stuck out his hand towards Atobe.

“Next time, we will be the ones to win,” Sanada said.

Atobe smirked and shook the Slytherin’s hand. “You’re welcome to try.”

Perhaps a rival besides Tezuka existed at Hogwarts after all.

 

* * *

 

The boys and girls changed in separate rooms, reconvening in one of the many twisting corridors underneath the Pitch. The footsteps from above faded as everyone retreated to the castle. The corridor smelled of sweat, mud, and broom polish, a combination that usually bothered Atobe, but at that moment he could not be bothered.

He was elated from their victory. He could only be more satisfied if he had caught the Snitch, though that was not the Chaser’s job.

“There’s usually a party in the common room,” Morgan said excitedly. They were outside the locker room, waiting for Masters and Stevenson.

“Last year, when we won the cup, someone set off fireworks and the common room had to be remodeled,” Ryan said. “Professor Sakaki was so mad I thought he was going to hex someone.”

“But usually there’s just butterbeer.”

“I’ve never had butterbeer,” Akutagawa said, looking eager, “but I’ve heard it’s good.”

From down the hall, they heard Stevenson’s high, anxious voice, “Olivia, can’t it wait—“

Masters was coming down the hall with startling speed and a furious expression while Stevenson followed behind, reaching out hesitantly but not grasping onto Masters’ arm. It was almost comical watching a tall girl like Stevenson chase after their much shorter captain.

The air felt heavier when Masters approached. For such a tiny girl, she had a large presence. She commanded attention with her gray eyes like storm clouds.

Shoulders tensed, loud broad steps, and a murderous storm brewing in her eyes—a fool could tell their captain was angry.

“Can’t we celebrate first?” Morgan asked, glancing at Akutagawa then his captain.

“This is more important than your butterbeer, Morgan.”

“Are you sure?”

Masters gave him a sharp look. Morgan shut his mouth.

“There were seventh years at tryouts,” Masters said, looking at Akutagawa. She was loud, but not shouting, not yet. Her emotions were getting the best of her. “I picked _you_ over seventh years, who will never have the chance to play for their house team again. Do you know why I did that?”

“Um…” Akutagawa said. He looked at Atobe, who said nothing.

“I can tell you that it wasn’t so you could fall asleep on your broom in the middle of a match!” Masters shouted.

Akutagawa’s eyes widened. He looked hurt, ashamed. Atobe had never seen Akutagawa look that way.

“It was his first match,” Stevenson said, gently putting a hand on Masters’ shoulder.

“Atobe didn’t feel the need to take a nap,” Masters said. Her eyes were fixed on Akutagawa. “Do you think this is a joke? Do you think we sweat and bruise during practice for nothing? I put my neck on the line by letting you on the team, and this is how you act?”

“Olivia, c’mon,” Ryan said. “Give the kid a break.”

“He was having problems sleeping all week,” Stevenson offered.

“If you think Cole would be doing anything different, _then_ you can tell me to give him a break,” Masters said.

Atobe did not know who Cole was, but his name caused the twins and Stevenson to become quiet instantly.

“Look, Jirou,” Masters said, her intensity holding but volume decreasing. “Last year, during my first match, I fell off my broom, took a Bludger to the head, and was out in the Hospital Wing for three days. You managed to stay on your broom, which is more than what I did. But if it happens again, you’re off the team. I play to win, and if you can’t help me achieve that goal, then I have no need for you.”

Akutagawa nodded and made a small sound that resembled a squeak. Atobe wondered if the boy was too scared to talk.

Masters nodded as well. “Good. Now go and celebrate. I’ll be up in the tower later.”

The rest of their team left the Quidditch Pitch and began the trek back to the castle. When they reached the main entrance, Akutagawa stopped and smiled. It was fake.

“You guys go ahead,” Akutagawa said. “I’m going to the Owlery to write home and tell my parents we won.”

No one said anything as Akutagawa headed in the other direction, which did not even lead to the Owlery. Stevenson kept giving Atobe anxious looks, like she half expected him to go chasing after Akutagawa.

But Atobe had no plans to run after Akutagawa. After all, if Akutagawa could not handle this much, then perhaps Atobe was wrong about him.

“Who’s Cole?” Atobe asked out of curiosity as they continued towards the castle.

“Cole Copper. Our last captain,” Morgan said.

“Good bloke,” Ryan said.

“Fantastic Quidditch player.”

“He threw a fit when Professor Sakaki told us to stop practicing during that blizzard last year. Said he would cancel practice when we got frostbite and couldn’t hold our brooms.”

“He also had a bit of an obsession with the Bulgarian National Quidditch team.”

“He’s infatuated with them. Would have licked their broomsticks clean if they asked him to!”

“We all respected him,” Stevenson cut in, before Morgan and Ryan could continue. “Last year, halfway through the season, the Slytherin team injured one of our Chasers. Cole’s the one that suggested Olivia join the team. He stood up for her when the rest of us were against it.”

“And what she said about Cole doing the same to Jirou?” Atobe asked.

“Well, when Olivia woke up in the Hospital Wing after her first match,” Stevenson recalled with a thoughtful expression, “he gave her a Chocolate Frog then a twenty minute lecture. His face was purple by the end of it.”

“I think it was more of a blue,” Morgan said.

“Cole was always sporting the house colors,” Ryan added. “Especially when he yelled.”

“Cole was hard on us, but he was a good captain,” Stevenson said. “He would have yelled at Jirou too.”

“And how is Masters compared to him?” Atobe said.

“Olivia takes Quidditch just as seriously. She doesn’t like to lose, even to her own teammates.” Stevenson smiled at Atobe. “But you already knew that, Atobe.”

Ryan threw an arm around Atobe’s shoulders. “Your declaration during tryouts didn’t help much. What kind of brat just proclaims he’s going to be captain of the team before he even gets on the broom?”

“Even if he tried, it’s not like he could beat Olivia,” Morgan said, grinning.

Atobe scowled, bitter, wondering why everyone thought so highly of Olivia Masters. She was a decent player, a good strategist, and held her ground as captain, but she was nothing compared to his greatness. She had done nothing special today. She lost control of her emotions, something a captain should never do.

Being good simply was not enough for someone like Atobe, who aspired to be great. He would win the next match, no matter the opponent, and soon, he would take the captaincy from Masters.

This was only the beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this story!
> 
> So this story is supposed to be called "Tales of Scales" and is meant to have many, many more chapters. However, I'm not sure if the additional chapters will be finished, and I wanted to share this part of the story since it's a fairly satisfying ending. If I do finish the rest of this story, I will add the chapters onto this story. But I will change the title and summary if that happens. Just something to be aware of.


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